Ace Combat: Brave New World
by AurelianAce
Summary: When the Golden Axe Plan was defeated, nobody would expect another major crisis, especially not anyone in Martinez Security. Unfortunately, they couldn't be any more wrong. Sequel to Ace Combat: Joint Assault. **UPDATE** *Read my profile bio. It will show how I'll act against toxic reviews from now on and why.*
1. Prologue

****Ace Combat:Brave New World Prologue****

* * *

 ** **Hello, I'm AurelianAce, and this is Ace Combat: Brave New World, the sequel to my fanfic of Joint Assault. This, along with Skies of Deception's sequel, which I hope I can start writing really soon, will be the first fics not based on games of the Ace Combat series (in the case of SoD's sequel, I'll "borrow" some elements of Skies of Incursion, but I will not follow the story of the game, since, unfortunately, I never got to play it.) As with the previous fics, this chapter is merely a guide to the story itself, showcasing the planes, characters, and weapons. Of course, this guide contains spoilers of its predecessor, so, if you haven't read Joint Assault and you don't like being spoiled, I recommend you to read it before this "prologue".****

 ** **Let's start with the planes and their weapons. I'm including some changes here:****

 ** **-Instead of limiting the aircraft's special weaponry arsenal to only two weapons, I'll feature a "default" special weapon, and a list of 3 optional weapons for each aircraft; however, the payload of the planes remains the same: 600 cannon rounds, 56 missiles and two special weapons. The default special weapon will be marked with "(main)", followed by the optional ones. Unless specified otherwise, the second special weapon will be random.****

 ** **-It will also include stats for the aircraft:****

*Top speed: The aircraft's maximum speed at top altitude (measured in kilometers per hour/miles per hour/Mach)( _ _Since I use the Metric System as a reference, the conversions to mph and Mach is approximated__ ).

*Air-to-air: How good the aircraft is in air-to-air combat.

*Air-to-ground: How good the aircraft is in air-to-ground combat.

*Stability: How good the aircraft handles in near-stall/post-stall turns.

*Maneuverability: How tightly can the aircraft turn.

*Defense: How much damage the aircraft can endure.

*Radar signature: How easy it is for radars to locate and track the aircraft.

From air-to-air to defense, the stats will be ranked from 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest ranking, and 10 the highest. The radar signature will be ranked from 1 to 5, 5 being the largest radar signature, and 1 the smallest; aircraft with radar signature of 2 or 1 are considered stealth aircraft.

 ** **The aircraft featured in this fic will be the following:****

*F-4E Phantom II (Multirole) [Special Weapons:6 SAAM (main); 6 SFFS , 6 6AGM, 8 UGB]

 _ _-"A large and outdated aircraft which multirole capabilities, speed and resilience make up for its lack of maneuverability and outdated avionics."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2500 km/h; 1563 mph; Mach 2,04__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 5__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 5__

 _ _*Stability: 4__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 2__

 _ _*Defense: 5__

 _ _*Radar signature: 5__

*F-15C Eagle (Fighter) [Special Weapons:8 4AAM (main); 6 SAAM, 8 QAAM, 6 LAAM]

 _ _-"An air superiority fighter with a superb balance in maneuverability, stability, speed, payload and survivability."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2800 km/h; 1750 mph; Mach 2,29__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 9__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 1__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*F-15E Strike Eagle (Attacker) [Special Weapons:8 GPB (main); 12 6AGM, 8 UGB, 8 4AAM]

 _ _-"A twin-seat multirole variant of the F-15 Eagle, it possesses superior ground attack capabilities while retaining the Eagle's trademark air-to-air combat abilities."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2750 km/h; 1719 mph; Mach 2,24__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 8__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*F-15SE Silent Eagle (Multirole) [Special Weapons:8 GPB (main); 6 QAAM, 8 LAGM, 6 SAAM]

 _ _-"A next-generation variant of the F-15E Strike Eagle, it adds advanced avionics and stealth properties to the Strike Eagle's design."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2700 km/h; 1688 mph; Mach 2,2__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 8__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 2__

*F-15S/MTD Eagle (Fighter) [Special Weapons:8 XLAA (main); 6 SAAM, 8 QAAM, 6 LAGM]

 _ _-"A research version of the F-15 Eagle, it is fitted with thrust vectoring engines and computer controlled canards, which give this fighter a very high degree of maneuverability."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2700 km/h; 1688 mph; Mach 2,2__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 6__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 7__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*F/A-18C Hornet (Multirole) [Special Weapons:6 SAAM (main); 8 4AGM, 4 LASM, 6 UGB]

 _ _-"A light multirole carrier-based aircraft, capable of countering air and ground threats in a single mission."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2000 km/h; 1250 mph; Mach 1,63__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 5__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 5__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*F/A-18F Super Hornet (Multirole) [Special Weapons:12 6AAM (main); 8 LASM, 8 GPB, 8 LAGM]

 _ _-"A twin-seat version of the Super Hornet series, it boasts high maneuverability, stability and payload for a carrier-based aircraft."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2100 km/h; 1313 mph; Mach 1,71__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 7__

 _ _*Stability: 8__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*F-14D Super Tomcat (Fighter) [Special Weapons:8 SAAM (main); 6 GPB, 8 XLAA, 6 QAAM]

 _ _-"The last variant of the F-14 family, this aircraft can handle all sorts of targets at any given range, despite its primary air superiority role."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2300 km/h; 1438 mph; Mach 1,88__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 5__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 5__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*A-10C Thunderbolt II (Attacker) [Special Weapons:18 6AGM (main); 6 FAEB, 8 UGB, 8 GPB]

 _ _-"A close air support aircraft fitted with a heavy 7-barrel rotary gun, lethal air-to-ground weapons and extremely tough armor."__

 _ _*Top speed: 1000 km/h; 625 mph; Mach 0,82__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 1__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 10__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 3__

 _ _*Defense: 10__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*F-5E Tiger II (Multirole) [Special Weapons:4 QAAM (main); 4 UGB, 4 SFFS, 4 RCL]

 _ _-"A lightweight, inexpensive and easy to pilot multirole aircraft with overall respectable capabilities."__

 _ _*Top speed: 1800 km/h; 1125 mph; Mach 1,47__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 4__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 4__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 4__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*YF-23A Black Widow II (Multirole) [Special Weapons:6 SAAM (main); 6 SOD, 6 GPB, 6 QAAM]

 _ _-"An experimental fifth-generation aircraft, it boasts high speed and cutting-edge stealth capabilities".__

 _ _*Top speed: 2500 km/h; 1563 mph; Mach 2,04__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 8__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 7__

 _ _*Stability: 8__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 8__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 1__

*F-16C Block 50 Fighting Falcon (Multirole) [Special Weapons:6 GPB(main); 6 LAGM, 8 4AAM, 6 QAAM]

 _ _-"This quintessential multirole fighter carries advanced weaponry that allows it to take on any kind of threats."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2250 km/h; 1406 mph; Mach 1,84__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 5__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 5__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 5__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*F-16F Fighting Falcon (Multirole) [Special Weapons:8 QAAM (main); 6 SOD, 8 4AGM, 6 SFFS]

 _ _-"A development of the F-16 Fighting Falcon featuring advanced avionics and conformal fuel tanks."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2150 km/h; 1344 mph; Mach 1,76__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 5__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 7__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*F-22A Raptor (Fighter) [Special Weapons:12 6AAM (main); 6 GPB, 8 QAAM, 8 4AAM]

 _ _-"A fifth-generation air superiority fighter featuring thrust vectoring engines, stealth capabilities and advanced avionics."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2400 km/h; 1500 mph; Mach 1,96__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 10__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 5__

 _ _*Stability: 8__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 9__

 _ _*Defense: 8__

 _ _*Radar signature: 2__

*F-35A Lightning II (Multirole) [Special Weapons:8 4AAM (main); 6 GPB, 8 4AGM, 8 QAAM]

 _ _-"A light stealth aircraft developed to replace the Fighting Falcon series, it features multirole combat capabilities and, unlike the other two F-35 main versions, an internal gun."__

 _ _*Top speed: 1950 km/h; 1219 mph; Mach 1,59__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 7__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 7__

 _ _*Stability: 7__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 2__

*F-35C Lightning II (Attacker) [Special Weapons:4 LASM (main); 6 QAAM, 8 GPB, 4 SOD]

 _ _-"A light stealth carrier-based aircraft developed to replace the F/A-18 Hornet series, it features better air-to-surface capabilities than its land-based counterpart."__

 _ _*Top speed: 1900 km/h; 1188 mph; Mach 1,55__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 8__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 2__

*Tornado GR4 (Attacker) [Special Weapons:8 GPB (main); 6 LACM, 8 4AGM, 6 LAGM]

 _ _-"The latest Tornado strike variant, capable of carrying advanced long-range air-to-ground weapons."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2250 km/h; 1406 mph; Mach 1,84__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 2__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 8__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 4__

 _ _*Defense: 8__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*Eurofighter Typhoon (Fighter) [Special Weapons:8 XLAA (main); 6 GPB, 12 6AGM, 6 QAAM]

 _ _-"An air superiority aircraft featuring computer-controlled canards and exceptional agility at both supersonic and subsonic speed."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2550 km/h; 1594 mph; Mach 2,08__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 8__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 6__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 7__

 _ _*Defense: 5__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*Mirage 2000-5 (Multirole) [Special Weapons:6 GPB(main); 6 SAAM, 6 QAAM, 6 LASM]

 _ _-"An advanced variant of the Mirage 2000 series boasting multirole capabilities and advanced avionics."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2300 km/h; 1438 mph; Mach 1,88__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 6__

 _ _*Stability: 4__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 4__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*Rafale M (Multirole) [Special Weapons:6 LASM (main);8 XLAA, 6 QAAM, 6 GPB]

 _ _-"A multirole carrier-based fighter characterized by its twin-engine delta design and canards."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2200 km/h; 1375 mph; Mach 1,8__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 7__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 7__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*JAS-39 Gripen NG (Multirole) [Special Weapons:8 XLAA (main); 4 SOD, 6 LASM, 6 GPB]

 _ _-"An enhanced version of the JAS-39C Gripen, featuring a new engine, slight stealth capabilities, increased payload capacity and upgraded avionics."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2450 km/h; 1531 mph; Mach 2__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 8__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 6__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 8__

 _ _*Defense: 5__

 _ _*Radar signature: 2__

*MiG-21-93 Fishbed (Fighter) [Special Weapons:6 QAAM (main); 4 SFFS, 6 SAAM, 6 GPB]

 _ _-"An updated MiG-21 Fishbed with updated avionics and flight controls, which retains its trademark maneuverability despite its inherent instability."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2200 km/h; 1281 mph; Mach 1,67__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 4__

 _ _*Stability: 4__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 4__

 _ _*Defense: 2__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*MiG-27D Flogger (Attacker) [Special Weapons:6 SFFS (main); 6 QAAM, 6 RCL, 4 LAGM]

 _ _-"An attack variant of the MiG-23 Flogger series, which features limited air-to-air combat capabilities along with remarkable low-altitude air-to-ground performance."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2300 km/h; 1438 mph; Mach 1,88__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 3__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 5__

 _ _*Stability: 3__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 4__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*MiG-29 Fulcrum-C (Fighter) [Special Weapons:6 QAAM (main); 6 UGB, 4 SAAM, 4 RCL]

 _ _-"An air superiority variant of the MiG-29 series, with high air-to-air abilities and limited air-to-ground attack capabilities."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2350 km/h; 1469 mph; Mach 1,92__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 4__

 _ _*Stability: 4__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 4__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*MiG-29SMT Fulcrum-E (Multirole) [Special Weapons:8 SAAM (main); 6 SFFS, 6 LAGM, 8 QAAM]

 _ _-"A recent variant of the MiG-29 family, featuring multirole capabilities, fly-by-wire controls and a large fuel tank on its back."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2350 km/h; 1469 mph; Mach 1,92__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 5__

 _ _*Stability: 4__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 4__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*MiG-29K Fulcrum-D (Multirole) [Special Weapons:6 LASM(main); 8 4AAM, 8 QAAM, 8 4AGM]

 _ _-"A carrier-based variant of the MiG-29SMT Fulcrum-E, it features advanced avionics and weapons along with enhanced engines."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2300 km/h; 1438 mph; Mach 1,88__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 7__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 7__

 _ _*Stability: 4__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 4__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*MiG-35 Fulcrum-F (Multirole) [Special Weapons:8 4AAM(main); 8 GPB; 8 QAAM, 4 FAEB]

 _ _-"The latest variant of the MiG-29 family, boasting increased maneuverability and the ability to withstand 10-g turns."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2300 km/h; 1438 mph; Mach 1,88__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 8__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 6__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 7__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*MiG-31BM Foxhound (Fighter) [Special Weapons:8 LAAM(main); 8 SAAM, 6 QAAM, 4 LAGM]

 _ _-"An upgraded variant of the MiG-31 Foxhound, capable of launching air-to-ground weapons and extremely long range air-to-air weapons."__

 _ _*Top speed: 3100 km/h; 1938 mph; Mach 2,53__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 10__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 3__

 _ _*Stability: 3__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 2__

 _ _*Defense: 9__

 _ _*Radar signature: 5__

*MiG 1.44 Flatpack (Multirole) [Special Weapons:8 QAAM (main); 6 LAGM, 8 GPB, 6 LAAM]

 _ _-"An experimental multirole fighter featuring stealth technology along with large canards and thrust vectoring engines which provide it with superior maneuverability and speed."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2500 km/h; 1563 mph; Mach 2,04__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 7__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 6__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 7__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 2__

*Su-25SM Frogfoot (Attacker) [Special Weapons:10 UGB(main); 6 LAGM, 6 GPB, 12 4AGM]

 _ _-"An upgrade of the Su-25 Frogfoot, which features vast improvements in combat effectiveness and survivability over its predecessor."__

 _ _*Top speed: 1100 km/h; 688 mph; Mach 0,9__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 3__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 8__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 5__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*Su-33 Flanker-D (Fighter) [Special Weapons:6 SAAM (main); 6 UGB, 6 LASM, 8 QAAM]

 _ _-"A carrier-based version of the Su-27 Flanker, it features high turning performance despite being slower than other aircraft of the same generation."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2200 km/h; 1375 mph; Mach 1,8__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 6__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 5__

 _ _*Radar signature: 4__

*Su-30MKI Flanker-H (Multirole) [Special Weapons:8 XLAA (main); 4 LACM, 8 QAAM, 8 LASM]

 _ _-"A twin-seat all-weather fighter developed from the original Su-30, it combines thrust vectoring engines and canards with advanced avionics."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2300 km/h; 1438 mph; Mach 1,88__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 8__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 7__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 8__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*Su-34 Fullback (Attacker) [Special Weapons:8 LAGM (main); 8 4AGM, 6 GPB, 8 4AAM]

 _ _-"A strike variant of the Su-27 Flanker featuring side-by-side seats, a small kitchen and a toilet behind the cockpit, this aircraft is intended to replace the prior generation of tactical bombers."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2100 km/h; 1313 mph; Mach 1,71__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 8__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*Su-35S Flanker-E (Multirole) [Special Weapons:12 6AAM (main); 6 LAGM, 8 QAAM, 4 FAEB]

 _ _-"The latest variant of the Flanker family, featuring advanced avionics and independent thrust vectoring engines, it is capable of attacking any target at long and short range."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2300 km/h; 1438 mph; Mach 1,88__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 8__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 6__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 8__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*Su-37 Terminator (Fighter) [Special Weapons:6 QAAM (main); 4 GPB, 8 4AAM, 12 6AGM]

 _ _-"A multipurpose fighter developed to increase the Su-27 combat capabilities, it is equipped with 2-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles that provide superb maneuverability."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2250 km/h; 1406 mph; Mach 1,84__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 7__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 5__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 9__

 _ _*Defense: 6__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*Su-47 Berkut (Fighter) [Special Weapons:8 SAAM (main); 6 QAAM, 6 UGB, 6 SOD]

 _ _-"An ultra-maneuverable fighter fitted with canards and forward-swept wings that allow any pilot skilled enough to master this aircraft's aerodynamics to obtain the edge in air-to-air combat."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2200 km/h; 1375 mph; Mach 1,8__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 9__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 8__

 _ _*Stability: 5__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 10__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 2__

*Su-57 PAK FA (Multirole) [Special Weapons:8 QAAM (main); 8 GPB, 8 4AAM, 8 LAGM]

 _ _-"A fifth-generation fighter which combines a stealthy design, multirole capabilities and high performance."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2300 km/h; 1438 mph; Mach 1,88__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 9__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 9__

 _ _*Stability: 7__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 9__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 1__

*F-2A Viper Zero (Attack) [Special Weapons:6 LASM (main); 8 4AAM, 6 UGB, 6 GPB]

 _ _-"Despite its design being optimized for air-to-ground and anti-ship combat, it is a very effective multirole fighter."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2300 km/h; 1438 mph; Mach 1,88__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 6__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 8__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 6__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 3__

*ATD-X Shinshin (Multirole) [Special Weapons:6 QAAM (main); 6 GPB, 12 6AAM, 6 LASM]

 _ _-"An indigenous Japanese stealth aircraft that can stand toe-to-toe with aircraft such as the Su-57 and the F-22A."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2500 km/h; 1563 mph; Mach 2,04__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 7__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 9__

 _ _*Stability: 7__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 7__

 _ _*Defense: 7__

 _ _*Radar signature: 2__

*J-20 Black Eagle (Fighter) [Special Weapons:8 XLAA (main); 6 LAAM, 8 GPB, 8 4AGM]

 _ _-"A Chinese air superiority aircraft boasting great performance along with cutting-edge stealth capabilities."__

 _ _*Top speed: 2100 km/h; 1313 mph; Mach 1,71__

 _ _*Air-to-air: 9__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: 8__

 _ _*Stability: 6__

 _ _*Maneuverability: 8__

 _ _*Defense: 5__

 _ _*Radar signature: 1__

 **-And now, a little surprise...**

 ** **SUPERFIGHTERS!****

 ** **-The superfighters will only have two special weapons instead of the three different combinations featured in the other aircraft, just like the planes featured in my previous fics, but they will have a much larger weapons reserve.****

 ** **The following superfighters/original fighters featured in the fanfic will be the following ones (also, for the sake of making this fic a bit more interesting, I'll add some FICTIONAL background to each fighter that lacks a clear background in the Ace Combat Infinity universe (which, for the sake of avoiding spoilers, I'll omit in this prologue). Obviously, in the case of the three first ones, since these have their official backgrounds, I'll stick to them):****

*GAF-1 Varcolac (Multirole) [Special Weapons:18 6AAM & 8 LACM]

 _ _-"A superfighter created by the Golden Axe Plan, far exceeding the capabilities of fifth generation aircraft."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

*ASF-X Shinden II (Multirole) [Special Weapons:18 6AAM & 12 LASM]

 _ _-"Named after a prototype fighter from WWII, this forward-swept, variable airframe aircraft is the pinnacle of Japanese technology along with the ATD-0."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

*CFA-44 Nosferatu (Multirole) [Special Weapons:24 ADMM & 8 EML]

 _ _-"Despite its poor stability and thin armor, this lethal Russian-built aircraft can turn the tide of battle in the hands of even the rookiest pilots thanks to its ludicrously lethal weaponry, provided that they keep this "vampire"'s weak points in mind."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

*XFA-33 Fenrir (Multirole) [Special Weapons:10 LAAM & 10 LACM]

 _ _-"A heavy multirole stealth fighter built in utmost secrecy in (CLASSIFIED), this aircraft can strike from beyond the range of the most advanced radars thanks to its stealth capabilities and outrun any interceptors thanks to its three powerful engines."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

*XFA-27 (Multirole) [Special Weapons:16 MSTM & 12 SOD]

 _ _-"A variable geometry fighter built by Wernher and Noah's (CLASSIFIED) branch, created with the purpose of building the most advanced multirole fighter."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

*X-02 Wyvern (Multirole) [Special Weapons:12 XLAA & 10 SOD]

 _ _-"A (CLASSIFIED)-built aircraft with an unique forward-swept swing-wing configuration, boasting superior multirole capabilities."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

*ADFX-01 Morgan (Multirole) [Special Weapons:6 TLS & 6 MPBM]

 _ _-"A forward-swept wing prototype fighter built in (CLASSIFIED), equipped with lethal laser weaponry and missiles."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

*ADF-01 Falken (Fighter) [Special Weapons:6 TLS & 12 XLAA]

 _ _-"A COFFIN-equipped version of the ADFX-01, more focused on air-to-air combat."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

*ADA-01B Adler (Attacker) [Special Weapons:12 LACM & 8 MPBM]

 _ _-"An attack version of the ADF series, carrying enough firepower to sink an entire fleet on its own."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

*R-101 Delphinus 1 (Fighter) [Special Weapons:10 LAAM & 10 QAAM]

 _ _-"A state-of-the-art (CLASSIFIED) air superiority fighter with a captivatingly aerodynamic design, expected to be the first of the Delphinus series."__

 _ _*(SPECIFICATIONS: CLASSIFIED)__

 ***The F-15S/MTD will have a centerline gun pod, since in real life it was just a technology demonstrator, and thus, didn't feature an internal gun.** **The F-35C also has a centerline gun pod, since it doesn't feature an internal gun.**

 **-The VTOL fighters, which will only feature two special weapons and their gun, internal or not, featured in this fanfic will be the following:**

*Yak-141 Freestyle (Internal gun, 6 QAAM and 4 LASM) (Top speed: 1500 km/h; 938 mph; Mach 1,22)

*F-35B Lightning II (1 centerline gun pod, 4 QAAM and 4 GPB) (Top speed: 1400 km/h; 875 mph; Mach 1,14)

*AV-8B Harrier II (1 gun pod, 6 QAAM and 8 4AGM) (Top speed: 1100 km/h; 688 mph; Mach 0,9)

*Yak-38 Forger (1 centerline gun pod, 4 QAAM and 6 UGB) (Top speed: 1200 km/h; 750 mph; Mach 0,98)

 **-The bombers featured in this fanfic will be:**

*B-2 Spirit (16 MGPB and 12 LUGB) (Top speed: 890 km/h; 556 mph; Mach 0,73)

*B-1B Lancer (24 MGPB) (Top speed: 1600 km/h; 1000 mph; Mach 1,31)

*B-52H Stratofortress (34 LUGB and 8 LACM) (Top speed: 1000 km/h; 625 mph; Mach 0,82)

*Tu-95MS Bear-H (16 LACM and 16 LUGB) (Top speed: 950 km/h; 594 mph; Mach 0,78)

*Tu-160 Blackjack (14 LACM and 12 MGPB) (Top speed: 2000 km/h; 1250 mph; Mach 1,63)

 **-The featured helicopters will be the following ones:**

*Ka-52 Hokum (Attack helicopter)

*Mi-28 Havok (Light attack helicopter)

*Mi-38 (Transport helicopter)

*AH-64D Apache Longbow (Attack helicopter)

*UH-60 Blackhawk (Transport helicopter)

*AH-1Z Viper (Light attack helicopter)

*Eurocopter EC 665 Tiger (Attack helicopter)

*Eurocopter EC 725 Super Cougar (Transport helicopter)

*Agusta Westland A129 Mangusta (Light attack helicopter)

-The attack helicopters will have 8 RKTL and 12 6AGM as special weapons, along with 16 standard missiles and 480 rounds of gun ammo, while the light attack helicopters will only have 4 RKTL, 8 4AGM and 360 rounds of gun ammo.

 **-The main characters will be the following:**

*Marlene Davenport(25)(Nationality: USA): An ex-USN pilot who joined Martinez Security shortly before the Valahia Crisis. She rose from a mere rookie to one of the most successful pilots of the PMC, having survived many life-or-death missions.

*Hansel Foulke(28)(Nationality: Germany): A German pilot who was infamous for the fact that all his wingmen died in action, earning him the nickname __Todesengel__ , or _Angel of Death_ , and making him a hard pilot to fly with. After Davenport joined him as Antares 2, he became a more tolerant person.

*Yolanda Vásquez(26)(Nationality: Spain): A former Patrulla Águila pilot, flowing with overconfidence and arrogance. She joined Martinez Security after a life-changing event.

*Arthur Bartlett(22)(Nationality: United Kingdom): A former RAF mechanic, who got tired of waiting for a chance to fly. Despite his timid attitude, he is not a person willing to let his friends down.

*Frederick Burford(51)(Nationality: USA): Commander of Martinez Security, M42 squadron, and the AWACS operator(callsign Canopus). A friend of Davenport's father, and a trustworthy yet overly responsible boss.

 ** **-Last but not least, I will include a "small" weapon guide in this prologue, which will include whether the weapons are air-to-air or air-to-ground weapons, whether they are guided or not, and, if they are, their range, the amount of munition launched per salvo(in other words, the max amount of times a weapon can be fired before having to "reload"), the damage, the real-world weapons that they most resemble, if they have, and some special properties. The damage section uses the standard missile as a reference.****

 ** **The special weapons' classes will be the following:****

 ** **-Unguided air-to-ground weapons****

 ** **-Guided air-to-ground weapons****

 ** **-Air-to-air missiles****

 ** **-"Superweapons"****

 ** **First off...****

-Standard Missile(MSL):

 _ _*"A standard all-purpose missile with balanced performance."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Two missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 1__

 _ _*Range: 1600 meters(1 mile)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: AIM-9X Sidewinder__

 _ _*Special properties: Locks on both airborne and ground-based targets__

 ** **-Unguided air-to-ground weapons:****

-Unguided Bomb(UGB):

 _ _*"__ _A standard free-fall bomb. It causes damage to ground targets close to the impact area._ _ _"__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: No__

 _ _*Two bombs per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 2__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: Mk.83 1000-lb bomb__

 _ _*Special properties: Moderate damage area, unguided__

-Rocket Launcher(RKTL):

 _ _*"A twin pod that fires a barrage of unguided rockets over the target area, causing moderate damage."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: No__

 _ _*Five rockets per pod, two pods, totaling 10 rockets per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 4(all rockets combined)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: B-13L 5-tube rocket pod__

 _ _*Special properties: Effective against lightly armored targets__

-Self-Forging Fragment Submunitions(SFFS):

 _ _*"A cluster bomb that spreads shrapnel over the target area, causing damage over a wide area. Like the SOD, it is not recommended to be used over areas occupied by civilians and/or allies."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: No__

 _ _*Two bombs per salvo, 30 bomblets per bomb__

 _ _*Damage: 3 (all bomblets combined)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: CBU-100 Rockeye cluster bomb__

 _ _*Special properties: High power, cluster submunitions, unguided__

-Fuel-Air Explosive Bomb(FAEB):

 _ _*"An unguided bomb that ignites a cloud of highly explosive fuel over the impact point, causing heavy damage to an extremely wide area."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: No__

 _ _*Two bombs per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 4__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: BLU-96 2000-lb Thermobaric bomb__

 _ _*Special properties: Wide damage area, unguided__

 ** **-Guided air-to-ground weapons:****

-Guided Penetration Bomb(GPB):

 _ _*"This bomb glides towards a locked-on target once dropped from the aircraft. Despite its small damage radius, it inflicts heavy damage to the target."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Two bombs per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 3__

 _ _*Range: 2000 meters(roughly 1.5 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: GBU-38 JDAM__

 _ _*Special properties: High power, armor piercing__

-4 Air-to-Ground Missiles (4AGM):

 _ _*"A group of four air-to-ground missiles that can be fired on to different ground-based targets at once. It can only lock on up to four different targets, but packs high firepower and has long range."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Four missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 3__

 _ _*Range: 3000 meters(almost 2 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: Kh-29 AS-14 Kedge missile__

 _ _*Special properties: Multi-lock, armor piercing, high power__

-6 Air-to-Ground Missile(6AGM):

 _ _*"A group of six air-to-ground missiles that can be fired on to different ground-based targets at once. It sacrifices power and range for a higher number of acquirable targets."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Six missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 2__

 _ _*Range: 2000 meters(roughly 1.5 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: AGM-65K Maverick missile__

 _ _*Special properties: Multi-lock, armor piercing__

-Long range Air to Ground Missile(LAGM):

 _ _*"An air-to-ground missile with a long range and wide damage radius. Especially effective in SEAD and anti-tank attacks."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Two missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 3__

 _ _*Range: 4500 meters(roughly over 2.5 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: AGM-88E AARGM__

 _ _*Special properties: Wide damage area, long range__

-Long range Air to Surface Missile(LASM):

 _ _*"An air-to-ship missile with a very long range and high power. Especially effective against ships."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Two missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 4__

 _ _*Range: 5000 meters(roughly 3 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: ASM-2 Anti-ship missile__

 _ _*Special properties: High power, very long range, low-level flight__

-Stand-Off Dispenser(SOD):

 _ _*"This gliding missile disperses numerous bomblets while flying over a locked-on target. Effective against tightly grouped targets, but not recommended in areas where civilian casualties or friendly fire might be an issue."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Two dispensers per salvo__ _ _, 40 bomblets per dispenser__

 _ _*Damage: 4(all bomblets combined)__

 _ _*Range: 4000 meters(roughly below 2.5 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: Bombkapsel 90 stand-off missile__

 _ _*Special properties: High power, cluster submunitions, low-level flight__

-Land Attack Cruise Missile(LACM):

 _ _*"A massive cruise missile with a range that exceeds that of the LASM. It's effective against virtually anything, and its only limiting factor is the amount of missiles an aircraft can carry."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Two missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 5__

 _ _*Range: 6000 meters(almost 4 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: Storm Shadow cruise missile__

 _ _*Special properties: High power, very long range, low-level flight, armor piercing, wide damage area__

 ** **-Air-to-air missiles:****

-Quick maneuver Air-to-Air Missile(QAAM):

 _ _*"An enhanced air-to-air missile with a high-tech heat-seeking warhead that allows it to track its target for longer. Very effective in close range dogfights."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: No__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Two missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 2__

 _ _*Range: 1500 meters(0.9 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: R-73 AA-11 Archer__

 _ _*Special properties: Advanced guidance__

-4 Air-to-Air Missiles(4AAM):

 _ _*"Multiple air-to-air missiles which can lock on to a max of four targets at medium range. Very effective against fighters, but its lack of firepower makes this missile just moderately effective against bombers."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: No__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Four missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 2__

 _ _*Range: 4000 meters(roughly below 2.5 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: AIM-120D AMRAAM__

 _ _*Special properties: Multi-lock, long range__

-Semi Active Air-to-air Missile(SAAM):

 _ _*"A radar guided air-to-air missile. Although it is very maneuverable and has long range, the target must be kept inside the targeting reticle until the missile reaches its target, which can put the firing aircraft in danger."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: No__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Two missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 2__

 _ _*Range: 4500 meters(roughly over 2.5 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: R-27ER AA-10 Alamo-C__

 _ _*Special properties: Long range, advanced guidance, radar homing__

-6 Air-to-Air Missiles(6AAM):

 _ _*"Multiple air-to-air missiles which can lock on to a max of six targets at a range marginally superior to that of the 4AAM. It sacrifices a slight amount of accuracy for an increase in lock-on distance and number of targets."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: No__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Six missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 2__

 _ _*Range: 4500 meters(roughly over 2.5 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: MBDA Meteor__

 _ _*Special properties: Multi-lock, long range__

-Advanced Long range Air-to-Air Missile(XLAA):

 _ _*"Multiple air-to-air missiles that can lock on to a max of four targets at long range. Very effective intercepting bombers, but its lack of maneuverability lightly hinders its effectiveness against top-tier fighters."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Four missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 3__

 _ _*Range: 5000 meters(roughly 3 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: None (Ace Combat X model)__

 _ _*Special properties: Multi-lock, very long range, high power__

-Long range Air-to-Air Missile(LAAM):

 _ _*"An extremely long-range air-to-air missile, which despite lacking multi-lock capacities, exceeds the range and firepower of the XLAA. Very effective intercepting bombers, but its lack of maneuverability makes it almost useless in dogfights against top-tier fighters."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Two missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 4__

 _ _*Range: 6000 meters(almost 4 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: R-37 AA-13 Arrow__

 _ _*Special properties: Very long range, high power__

 ** **-"Superweapons":****

-Tactical Laser System(TLS):

 _ _*"A pod containing a laser-emitting device that fires a high output laser. Since the amount of time from firing and impact is virtually zero, it is close to impossible to evade its attacks."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: No__

 _ _*15 seconds of uninterrupted fire per salvo, 10 seconds of cooldown since it stops firing, cannot reload while firing__

 _ _*Damage: 10 (full barrage)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: None (Ace Combat Zero model)__

 _ _*Special properties: Infinite range, very high power__

-Multi Purpose Burst Missile(MPBM):

 _ _*"A large missile that locks on to both air and ground targets, exploding violently shortly before reaching the target and causing damage to a large area."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*One missile per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 5__

 _ _*Range: 3000 meters(almost 2 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: None (Ace Combat Zero model)__

 _ _*Special properties: High power, cluster submunitions, locks on to both air and ground targets__

-All-Direction Multipurpose Missile(ADMM):

 _ _*"A set of three pods containing 4 missiles each that can lock on to up to 12 different targets. Despite each missile's seemingly low damage, the devastating combined firepower of the missiles is unparalleled in the guided weapons category."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Twelve missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 1.5 per missile, 18 in total__

 _ _*Range: 4500 meters(roughly over 2.5 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: None (Ace Combat 6 model)__

 _ _*Special properties: Long range, high power, locks on to both air and ground targets__

-Multiple-Launch Standard Missile(MSTM):

 _ _*"A type of missile that can lock on to both air and ground targets. Although it doesn't feature multi-lock capacities, the four missiles are destructive enough to make such feature unnecessary."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Four missiles per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 2__

 _ _*Range: 1600 meters(1 mile)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: IRIS-T__

 _ _*Special properties: Locks on both air and ground targets__

-Electro Magnetic Launcher(EML):

 _ _*"A miniaturized railgun that accelerates projectiles electromagnetically, providing the shot with an astonishing high power. Even a glancing shot can seriously damage or even outright destroy most aircraft."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: Yes__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: No__

 _ _*1 projectile per salvo, 15 seconds of cooldown since it stops firing, cannot reload while firing__

 _ _*Damage: 8 (center of the shot)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: None (Ace Combat 6 model)__

 _ _*Special properties: Infinite range, very high power__

-Modified Guided Penetration Bomb(MGPB):

 _ _*"A modified version of the Guided Penetration Bomb. It is suited for tactical bombing due to its power and capacity."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: Yes__

 _ _*Four bombs per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 4__

 _ _*Range: 3000 meters(roughly 1.8 miles)__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: GBU-31 JDAM__

 _ _*Special properties: High power, armor piercing__

-Large Unguided Bomb(LUGB):

 _ _*"A modified version of the Unguided Bomb. It is suited for tactical bombing due to its immense power."__

 _ _*Air-to-ground: Yes__

 _ _*Air-to-air: No__

 _ _*Homing Weapon: No__

 _ _*Four bombs per salvo__

 _ _*Damage: 5__

 _ _*Real-world physical comparison: Mk.84 2000lb bomb__

 _ _*Special properties: High power, armor piercing, unguided__

* * *

Well, this is the prologue of Brave New World. Please, review this fanfic and the other ones I already have, and fave them if you like them. Remember, all constructive criticism is welcome, but please do not flame. Also, I'd like to thank everyone of you readers for your support (whether it was via comments, faves, follows, or just spending your time reading them) during my previous fanfics. Thanks to you, I feel that writing my fics is worth the effort. As a final note, I want you readers to keep in mind that there will be a whole lot of surprises in the fanfic, but spoiling them would ruin the fun. Good luck and take care. See you next time


	2. Chapter 1: Red Letter Day

**Ace Combat: Brave New World**

 **Chapter 1:Red Letter Day**

 **DISCLAIMER:** **Comes without saying that Ace Combat is owned by Bandai Namco. Everything else is owned by their rightful owners**

 **AN** : _Hello again. I'm AurelianAce, and this is the sequel to Ace Combat: Joint Assault. I'm putting OC in the character tags again, for the same reason as in the previous fanfic. Since this is a sequel to Joint Assault, there will be spoilers for my previous fic, so I highly recommend you to read it before this one. That being said, enjoy the fic..._

* * *

 _Martinez Security Private Hospital, San Diego, U.S.A, July 15th 2016, 17:45 Hours; Weather: Sunny, few clouds_

Marlene Davenport, a red-haired, green eyed woman entered the hospital's waiting room, shellshocked. The events of that day had been traumatic for everyone in the area of the incident. If she had been told that a simple, by-the-book training mission would spiral to such a tragedy, she wouldn't have believed it, at best.

In the waiting room, sitting in three different chairs, were her three wingmen: Hansel Foulke, a muscular German with brown eyes and wavy, short brown hair, who was rubbing his temples restlessly; Yolanda Vásquez, a Spaniard pilot with long, black hair and sapphire eyes, staring at the floor with a very grave expression; and Arthur Bartlett, a blonde British ex-RAF mechanic with grey eyes, who fidgeted nervously.

The three of them turned to Davenport when she entered the room.

-"How's he doing, Marlene?"-asked Foulke, fearing the answer would confirm his fears.

Davenport took a deep breath, and answered...

 _Martinez Security's HQ, San Diego, U.S.A, July 15th 2016, 11:30 Hours; Weather: Sunny, few clouds_

Marlene Davenport was resting in an hammock, staring into the sky. The days after the end of the Golden Axe Plan Crisis had been plagued with an abnormal monotony. She missed taking to the skies, even if it was for just a routine flight, but Frederick Burford, her boss and a friend of her late father's, had talked her against doing it until Hansel Foulke returned. Foule had been injured during the mission after saving Davenport from a vicious attack from Milosz Sulejmani, who had defected both to Valahia and the Golden Axe Plan Private Army, and had tried to kill them both.

Davenport also missed being with Foulke. Even though their first moments had been marked by mutual disdain and hate, they had eventually grown close enough to become a couple, only just the day before Davenport almost lost him. Davenport had been since sitting idle, letting her Su-57 PAK FA catch dust in the hangar the whole time.

That day, Burford had to leave to San Francisco for some "business", and only some support staff remained on the base, along with a few soldiers and Davenport herself, who was relaxing near the hangar where her Su-57 rested.

-" _ _Damn, it sure feels bad being here on the ground.__ "-Davenport mused.-" _ _Wonder if Burford is getting new recruits for the Antares squadron anytime soon. If Hansel takes too long to recover and I don't get any wingmen I might had to take a leave of absence until things get sorted out.__ "

Preocuppied by her thoughts, she didn't notice the person approaching her until she had their face right above hers.

-"Hey, Marlene, __Guten Morgen__ _!_ "-said the person, who was a young man with wavy brown hair and brown eyes.

Davenport recognized him instantly. She sprung off her hammock and hugged Foulke tightly, almost crying in joy, as Foulke hugged her back.

-"Hansel, I've missed you big time!"-she said, after they stopped hugging.-"Just why the hell didn't you tell me you'd be checked out of the hospital today?"

-"Actually, I've just been checked out this very morning."-said Foulke, as he scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner.-"It was Burford who picked me up. And before you blame me, he wanted this to be a surprise for you."

-"Oh, great, yet another secret Burford keeps from me."-Davenport sighed in defeat.-"Did he actually had anything to do in San Francisco or what?"

-"Yep, he did."-replied Foulke.-"We've got a briefing soon, by the way."

-"Really?"-said Davenport.-"Have we got a new mission?"

-"Actually, no. We've got some new recruits to train that will joint the Antares squadron."-said Foulke.-"One of them turns out to have been a former member of an aerobatic team in Western Europe, while the other is just an ex-mechanic with zero flight hours."

-"Guess someone's going to need some basic flight lessons."-said Davenport.-"It kinda takes me back."

-"To when we first met?"-asked Foulke.

-"Yeah. I hope it turns better than the last time, though."-replied Davenport.

-"Hey, at least I'm not going to be an asshole this time."-stated Foulke.-"I'm still trying to make up for that."

-"You don't have to."-said Davenport, wrapping her arm around Foulke's shoulder.-"Neither of us knew better back then. And I was referring to the fact that the Valahia flew on our airspace when we were about to begin our training exercise with the SDF and the Navy."

The two pilots headed to the main building...

 _Martinez Security's HQ, San Diego, U.S.A, July 15th 2016, 11:32 Hours; Weather: Sunny, few clouds_

Arthur Bartlett, an ex-RAF mechanic, was sitting on one of the chairs of the briefing room, taking glances at the only other person in the room with him, a woman with long, black hair and blue eyes. The woman was resting with her back against the wall, opposite to the three large windows that gave a full view of the base's large runway and the nearby coast. Bartlett thought that woman was the most beautiful girl he had seen in his life, but he was too shy to even talk to her. It had been like that since they left the San Francisco airport, where a man named Frederick Burford and another man called Hansel Foulke had picked them both up and taken them to the base. The woman, who was called Yolanda Vásquez, had a staggering aura of pride and self-confidence. Apparently, she was a very skilled pilot, while he was just about to be tested whether he would be allowed to fly, or just tasked with maintenance duties.

His constant glances were not unnoticed by Vásquez, who eventually got tired of him looking at her.

-" _ _¿Qué miras?__ "-she asked, with an irate tone.

-"Huh?"-Bartlett asked.

-"I asked you what you were looking at."-repeated Vásquez.-"It's rude to look at people the way you've been doing until now."

-"I'm sorry."-stammered Bartlett, looking at the floor embarrassed.

-"Yeah, that's it. Keep your eyes to yourself, __rubito__ _._ "-said Vásquez, not bothering to hide her disgust.-"By what I could figure out, you're not even a pilot."

-"I know. I'm here to learn."-said Bartlett, turning back to Vásquez.-"I've been a mechanic my entire life, but that doesn't mean I can't become a pilot."

-"If you're trying to make me laugh, at least tell a decent joke."-replied Vásquez, not taken aback.-"Flight skills are not something you can acquire in a single day. And in your case, an entire lifetime may not be enough."

Bartlett turned his back to Vásquez, deeply hurt. Vásquez didn't bother to apologize to him. They spent the rest of their time in silence until the door on the back of the room opened. A black man in his early 50s walked in, followed by a brown-haired man and a red-haired woman. The black man walked to the far end of the room while the other two took contiguous seats. Vásquez sat down afterwards.

-"Attention, Martinez Security M42 squadron. I'm Frederick Burford, and this is your briefing for the next mission."-said Burford.-"This is a training exercise for our new pilots, Yolanda Vásquez and Arthur Bartlett. Vásquez is a former member of the Spanish aerobatic team Patrulla Águila, so her flight training is covered. However, Arthur Bartlett lacks any experience of flight, so he's going to need both flight and air combat training."

Bartlett heard Vásquez huff in amusement, and the red-haired woman whisper something to the brown-haired man, who nodded in response.

-"This is also a great chance for our new flight lead. Marlene Davenport, for your outstanding actions during the Golden Axe Plan crisis, you've been promoted to squadron leader."-said Burford.

The red-haired woman's face showed an expression of surprise.

-"Well, thanks, Burford."-said Davenport.-"I'm still convinced that Foulke deserves it more than me, though."

-"Nonsense, __Meine Liebe__ _._ "-replied the brown-haired man.-"You managed to shoot Sulejmani down. Something I'm sure I would have failed at."

-"We still took down two Varcolacs each."-said Davenport.-"That makes us even."

-"Not if you count Olivieri in."-retorted Foulke.-"I heard about you taking him down, too."

-"OK then, __Antares 2__ _._ "-sighed Davenport in defeat.

-"For this training you'll be flying the next aircraft: Foulke, Vásquez, you'll pilot MiG-21-93 Fishbeds, and Davenport, you'll be flying with Bartlett in an F-4E Phantom II."-continued Burford.-"I know the F-4E is not as good as other aircraft owned by Martinez Security, but for now we'll suffice."

-"Understood."-said Davenport.-"To cover both air-to-air and air-to-ground training, I guess we can choose SAAMs and UGBs for the Phantom. Foulke could carry SAAMs along with the QAAMs, and Vásquez could carry GPBs instead of the SAAMs. That way we can train against both a multirole/attacker and an air superiority fighter."

-"You're thinking like a true squadron leader already. I guess your plan involves Foulke and Vásquez playing the role of aggressors in the training."-said Burford.-"I'll be at the control tower, to give you further instructions and warning in case something happens. To all of you, good luck and godspeed."

The three pilots and the rookie left the room, heading for the hangars that housed the aircrafts mentioned during the briefing. The F-4E Phantom II, which had a brown and two-tone green paintjob with black radome and silver white underside, was already being fitted with the UGBs and SAAMs. The MiG-21-93 Fishbeds, one with a white paintjob and black radome, and the other one with a three-tone desert brown camouflage and grey nose radome, were already fueled and armed.

-"Bartlett, come here."-said Davenport.

Bartlett headed towards Davenport.

-"I know you might feel intimidated, but this is easier than it seems."-she said.-"I'll be right behind you, and I'll take control in case something goes wrong."

-" _ _When__ something goes wrong."-quipped Vásquez, who overhead the conversation.-"By the way, I'm calling dibs on the white Fishbed."

-"Actually, __Fraülein__ Vásquez, your MiG-21 is gonna be the brown one."-said Foulke, pointing to the other MiG-21-93.-"Not because of personal preferences, but for the fact that the white one is loaded with SAAMs, not with GPBs. You're going to take some air-to-ground training too."

-" _ _!Me cago en la puta!__ "-swore Vásquez.-"At least I hope it turns swiftly."

-"First, I understand enough Spanish to know that you need some bleach to clean that mouth."-replied Davenport.-"And second, the Fishbed is agile enough to avoid basic missiles. So agility is not a concern."

-"So, how is this training mission gonna go, Marlene?"-asked Foulke.

-"First off, I'm going to give Bartlett here some lessons in basic maneuvers and air combat."-said Davenport.-"When we've finished, you and Vásquez will join in for the rest of the training. The idea is just the same Burford had: you take the role of the escort, and Vásquez will try to attack the designated target and counterattack in case Foulke is defeated."

-"Well, I guess I'm getting to bomb something today."-said Vásquez.-"That guy looks like he couldn't hurt a fly, let alone shoot anything down."

-"I hope, for our squadron's own good, that your behaviour in the air makes up for your rudeness here on land."-warned Foulke.-"Last thing we need is a lone wolf in the Antares squadron."

After wearing their helmets and flight suits, Bartlett and Davenport sat on their respective seats of the F-4E. With guidance from Davenport, Bartlett taxiied to the runway.

-"Antares 1, Antares 4, this is Burford."-said Burford from the tower, when the aircraft got to takeoff position.-"Wind 070, at 5 knots. You're cleared for takeoff."

-"OK, Bartlett. Check flaps, wheel brakes and engines."-said Antares 1.

-"Flaps are deployed, wheel brakes engaged, and engines running on standby."-replied Antares 4.

-"First off, it comes without saying that we need to take off before anything else."-said Antares 1.-"You'll need to reach a speed of 150 knots to take off, and for that, you'll have to set your aircraft's engines to full afterburner after you disengage the wheel brakes. Once you take off, retract the landing gear and flaps, unless you want to experience the "wonders" of a belly landing on an F-4E."

-"I got it."-replied Antares 4.-"Disengaging brakes and applying afterburners."

The F-4E's engines roared to full power, making it pick up speed. Once it reached 150 knots, Antares 4 took off, and retracted both flaps and gear.

-"A perfect takeoff, but that's the easy part."-said Davenport.-"Now, disengage afterburners, but keep the engines at about 65 percent power. We don't neet to waste our fuel, and you're not trained for air refuelling."

Antares 4 decreased engine power.

-"Just for the record, how familiar are you with flight mechanics?"-asked Antares 1.-"As in how an aircraft moves."

-"Well, I had a friend of mine that snuck me into the RAF's flight simulators once in a while."-said Antares 4.-"So, some experience, but not the real deal, if you follow me."

-"Better than nothing then."-replied Antares 1.-"To freshen things up a bit, let's go through the most basic movements. Roll over to the left."

Antares 4 rolled over, pulling the flight stick to the left until they were flying upside-down.

-"Good. Now roll back up to the right."-said Antares 1.

Antares 4 complied, rolling the F-4E back up.

-"Now, turn to heading 090."-said Antares 1.

Antares 4 rolled to the right and pulled back toward the air base.

-"As you may have noticed, your airspeed dropped while you turned."-said Antares 1.-"We're going to leave the consequences of an excessive loss of speed for later. Now turn right to heading 180."

Antares 4 followed Antares 1's instructions, and turned right until he was heading south.

-"Now, ready to try something potentially lethal?"-said Antares 1.-"You're now to experience a stall. Before that, increase your altitude to 12000 feet. Increase speed and pull up until you reach an angle of 70 degrees."

Antares 4 pulled up and climbed until the F-4E was at the specified altitude.

-"Now, decrease speed as much as you can and pull up."-ordered Antares 1.

Antares 4, trembling, followd Antares 1's orders. Soon afterwards, his aircraft started shaking and fell down, the alarms blaring inside the cockpit.

-"Don't freak out!"-shouted Antares 1 over the alarms.-"Just increase speed and level your plane!"

Antares 4 desperately tried to level the F-4E, managing to recover from the stall at an altitude of just 900 feet.

-"Good, you've managed to stall the F-4E without getting both of us killed, something I'm very thankful for."-said Antares 1.-"Now, have you grasped the basics of flight?"

-"Yes, ma'am."-said Antares 4.

-"Very good, let's move on to air-to-air combat."-replied Antares 1.-"Antares 2 and Antares 3 will be taking off soon, and start their respective training session. The first one will involve live fire, so we're going to use dummy targets for this part. Afterwards, we'll move on to a DACT session."

-"A Dissimilar Air Combat Traning, right?"-said Antares 4.-"It sounds simple enough."

-"But before that, you'll need to learn how to use your aircraft's weapons."added Antares 1.-"There are many types of weapons, and you'll eventually have to master all of them, but for now, we'll focus on the weapons this plane's carrying: standard missiles, semi-active air-to-air missiles, unguided bombs, and of course, guns."

-"For that matter, you'll have to head for the target range."-said Burford.-"Antares 4, head to the designated area. It is marked on your radar."

Antares 4 looked at the radar, which showed the target range to the north of the base. He turned until he was heading in that direction and increased speed to reach it sooner. Thirty seconds later, he was near the target range.

-"Let's try standard missiles first. These missiles carry heat-seeking warheads that track both airborne and ground-based targets, and lock on to them at a range of 1 mile. There are four targets, two dummy blimps and a couple of jeeps on the area."-said Antares 1.-"Take them out with the missiles."

Antares 4 switched to standard missiles, and attacked the blimps first. He found it relatively easy, since the missiles had no problem tracking the blimps. Attacking the jeeps was a bit trickier, since he had to pull up after he destroyed both.

-"Fantastic. Now, before we go on with the special weapons, you need to get some training with the most basic and versatile weapon every warplane can count on: the gun. Sometimes you'll be too close to use missiles of any kind, so you'll have to take down your target the old-fashioned yet reliable way."-said Antares 1.-"Shooting blimps would be like strafing, so for this part we're going to shoot down a couple of drones."

-"There is a couple of X-47Bs flying towards the target range. They're unarmed and they're flying a predictable path, so you don't have to worry about them shooting back or evading you."-said Burford.-"Stay relaxed, and you will make it."

The two X-47Bs flew in a straight line to the west. Antares 4 got behind them in a matter of seconds, despite the aircraft's lack of agility.

-"Now, align the gun reticle with the target and pull the trigger to shoot the drones down."-said Antares 1.

Antares 4 complied and shot down the first one. At that moment, the other one broke hard to the south.

-"Hey, that one just split!"-he complained.

-"Never believe that an enemy is easy to fight."-said Antares 1.-"Follow the drone and shoot it down."

Antares 4 followed the drone. Thankfully, it was drastically slower than the F-4E, so it was easy for Antares 4 to catch up with the drone, align the gun sights on it, and shoot it down with a short burst.

-"Well done. At least you can react to an unexpected turn of events without breaking too much of a sweat."-said Antares 1.-"Now, let's move on to the special weapons. First off, the easiest of them, the unguided bombs. As its name suggests, this weapon is an unguided air-to-ground bomb with just the basic properties. But that makes it more versatile than other air-to-ground weapons. You can drop them even under heavy jamming, so they don't require a lock-on for an effective use, they're useful against virtually everything, and don't cause as much collateral damage as the cluster bombs."

-"Antares 4, this is Burford. There are four buildings, a couple of old tanks and two APCs on the target range for you to destroy."-said Burford.-"Destroy them before you go on to the next exercise."

Antares 4 switched to UGBs and attacked the designated targets. It took four passes and the eight UGBs to take out the eight targets, but Antares 4 managed to destroy them all swiftly.

-"Like a true professional. Now, let's move on to somethin a bit trickier."-said Antares 1.-"Antares 3 is going to simulate a bombing run on a handful of objectives in the target range, and Antares 2 will act as an escort. Your mission is to intercept them."

-"Wait, this is a live fire exercise."-said Antares 4.-"What if I kill them?"

-"That's the correct question. But don't worry. All you have to do is switch your weapons to simulation mode."-said Antares 1.-"Your plane's computer will simluate the launch of the missile without you wasting a single bullet or missile. For this exercise, we'll use an air-to-air missile, the semi-active air-to-air missile. This missile is very accurate and has a long range, but there's a catch: once you switch to it, you'll see a small circle on your HUD. That circle is the area where the missile can track the target. If it gets out of there, the missile stops tracking the target and it won't hit unless you get the target inside the steering circle soon enough."

-"Understood."-said Antares 4.

-"Antares 1, this is Antares 2."-said Antares 2.-"Antares 3 and I are on the way. Antares 3, remember to set your air-to-air weapons to simulation mode. Last thing we need is to lose a squad member before they get proper training."

-"OK, I'm on it."-said Antares 3.-"Just don't expect me to go easy on him."

-"Remember, I'm the escort, and your role is the attacker's one."-replied Antares 2.-"Unless I get "shot down", your mission is to use your GPBs on the specified targets. Don't pull anything stupid."

-"Understood."-said Antares 3.-"Try to lose against him, if that's how this is gonna be."

-"Antares 4, you have to take down both the escort and the attacker. Of course, the escort will fight back, and so will the attacker should you defeat the escort."-said Antares 1.-"Use any air-to-air weapon you need to, but keep the systems on simulation mode."

-"Roger that."-said Antares 4.

-"Antares 3, don't worry if you're defeated."-said Antares 1.-"You'll still be able to continue your training once the interception simulation is over."

-"Fine by me, because he's not going to."-replied Antares 3.

-"Let's get this started, people."-said Burford.

-"Antares 2, roger that."-said Antares 2.

-"Antares 3, __entendido__ _._ "-confirmed Antares 3.

-"Antares 4, engaging."-said Antares 4.

Antares 4 switched to SAAMs and headed towards Antares 2 and Antares 3, who were heading towards the target range from the southeast. Antares 2 broke off and counterattacked, switching to SAAMs to "attack" Antares 4, while Antares 3 kept flying towards her targets. Antares 2 locked on to Antares 4 and "fired" one of his SAAMs.

-"Antares 4, break!"-ordered Antares 1.

Antares 4 rolled to the right, applied full throttle and pulled to avoid the virtual missile fired on his, while the alarms blared inside the cockpit. Soon, however, the "missile" lost track, despite Antares 2's best efforts to keep the F-4E within the SAAM's reticle.

-"By the way, Antares 4. Remember that the MiG-21-93 has the advantage in close-quarters dogfights."-said Antares 1.-"Make sure Antares 2 or Antares 3 don't get too close to you, or you'll be in for a bad time."

Antares 4 used his SAAMs to fire back at Antares 2. However, Antares 2 managed to evade the virtual missile with even more ease than Antares 4. At that moment, they were too close for either of them to use SAAMs effectively, so Antares 4 switched to standard missiles, and Antares 2 to QAAMs. The marginally shorter range of the QAAMs was compensated for its incredible maneuverability, which allowed it to keep up with even the most maneuverable aircraft if they weren't quickly evaded. And the F-4E was among the least agile aircraft in the world. Antares 2 got behind Antares 4, trying to get within range of his QAAMs. Despite that, Antares 4 made use of the F-4E's best asset: speed, which allowed it to outrun most aircraft, including the nimble but slow MiG-21-93. Antares 2 tried to keep up with Antares 4, but his MiG-21-93 was not capable of keeping up with the F-4E. Shortly after he got out of missile range, Antares 4 pulled up to lose speed and make Antares 2 overshoot. Antares 2 tried to slow down, unsuccessfully. Antares 4 locked on to Antares 2 and "fired" two missiles, "hitting" Antares 2.

-"Well, you actually managed to take out the escort, but it's too late for you to intercept Antares 3."-said Antares 1.

Antares 1 was right. Antares 3 had actually managed to bomb her six designated targets, at the only expense of her full load of GPBs. To make things worse, Antares 3 changed course and headed towards Antares 4.

-"Now, let's see whether you are worth your salt or not."-she said, grinning.

Antares 4 was at a very disadvantageous position, having bled a lot of speed, and Antares 3 had covered a lot of ground before he could react. A virtual QAAM, fired at close range from twelve o'clock, hit him.

-"Seems like I was right. You are just a pilot wannabe."-said Antares 3, despectively.

-"Calm down, Antares 3. When all's said and done, we're all on the same side."-said Antares 1.-"Don't judge the kid on his first fli..."

-"Hey, Antares 1, is my radar acting up?"-asked Antares 2 suddenly.

-"Why are you saying that?"-replied Antares 1.

-"Because I'm tracking eight faint blips on radar to the northwest of the base."-said Antares 2.-"And judging by their apparent speed, they're not civilian aircraft; also, they're heading right towards the base."

-"Something's brewing up."-said Antares 1, concerned.-"Antares squadron, let's go south to identify these bogeys. Weapons safe, but be ready to switch them to free."

-"Understood."-replied both Antares 2 and 3.

-"Burford, this is Antares 1."-said Antares 1.-"Are you tracking these bogeys?"

-"Affirmative, Antares 1. This is giving me a bad vibe."-said Burford.-"It's like back at Midway."

The Antares squadron was flying back to base, ready to meet the unidentified contacts, when things took a turn for the worse.

Antares 1 was the first to see the flight of bogeys, which was comprised of eight planes, and her heart froze. Had they not been painted in jet black, she would have sworn the Antares squadron's nemesis had resurrected and come back with an otherworldly thirst for vengeance.

-"VARCOLACS!"-she screamed.

-"What?"-asked Burford.-"I thought you guys destroyed the four ones."

-"Antares 1's not wrong, sir."-said Antares 2.-"It's eight GAF-1s, and they're heading right towards the base! You need to evacuate, SCHNELL!"

-"All planes, weapons free on all unidentified aircraft!"-ordered Antares 1.-"Don't let those planes hit the base!"

Antares 4 and Antares 2 used their SAAMs to attack the GAF-1s on the rear end of the flight, firing on one of them each. However, the targeted aircraft evaded the missiles. To make matters worse, the four GAF-1s that were closer to the base used their LACMs to attack the base's buildings and anti-aircraft defenses. The hangars, most of the AA guns and SAM sites, and even the tower were engulfed in heavy explosions.

-" _ _Scheiße__ _!_ "-swore Antares 2.

-"Oh, God no!"-gasped Antares 4.-"Those bastards just blew up the tower! With Burford inside!"

-" _ _Hostia puta, ¿qué coño ha sido eso?__ "-shrieked Antares 3.-"Those were not conventional air-to-ground missiles!"

Antares 1 was shocked. She was certain that she had seen Frederick Burford, her boss and her late father's friend, die in that surprise attack.

-"Antares squadron, those unsightly pricks have already done too much damage."-she said.-"Make sure they don't hit the runway, or we're cooked!"

-"How are we supposed to do that?"-asked Antares 2.-"Both you and I know how slippery those aircraft were, and we had an F-22 and an Su-57 to counterattack. Now we have a single F-4E and two MiG-21-93s."

-"And to make matters worse, I haven't even fought one of those "Varcolacs" in my life, let alone the wannabe!"-added Antares 3.

-"I know, but we have no choice."-said Antares 1.-"If we try to run, we're dead."

-"That's a good point."-said Antares 2.-"Guess we're engaging then."

-"Damn right we are."-said Antares 1.-"Antares squadron, take down those Varcolacs."

The Antares squadron attacked the eight GAF-1 Varcolacs. Antares 4 switched to SAAM, while Antares 3 and Antares 2 switched to QAAM. Antares 2 and antares 3 headed towards the flight,firing their QAAMs. Despite their best efforts, they only succeeded in making the GAF-1s break away from the base and abort a second attack. Antares 4, on the other hand used another SAAM to attack the GAF-1s, but their maneuverability allowed them to evade the missiles. The GAF-1 Varcolacs fired back, with the three pilots barely evading their attacks. For over five minutes, neither side made any progress. Eventually, Antares 2 managed to get behind one of the GAF-1s, fired two QAAMs and managed to hit the bandit with one of the missiles. The GAF-1 exploded, since the aircraft was not made to endure that amount of damage.

-"I got one!"-boasted Antares 2.

Antares 3 was just as lucky, managing to shoot another GAF-1; however, she shot it down in a different way: she got behind the enemy, and fired her MiG-21-93's guns. The bullets shredded the GAF-1, and sent it spiralling towards the ground.

-" _¡_ _ _Uno menos!__ "-said Antares 3.

Antares 4, however, was not as lucky. He was being chased by two GAF-1s, and his maneuvers were not enough to shake the enemies off.

-"I can't shake them!"-cried Antares 4.

-"Antares 4, just do what you did with Antares 2 before."-said Antares 1.

-"Those are not MiG-21s!"-said Antares 4.-"I didn't even know these planes existed until 6 minutes ago!"

-"Well, these new planes are gonna shoot us both down if you don't act soon!"-replied Antares 1.

Antares 4 sighed in defeat. He desperately tried to shake off the two GAF-1s, but they kept glued to his tail. Finally, after two more grueling minutes of evasive maneuvers, Antares 4 was just 300 feet from one of the GAF-1s.

-"Now, hit the brakes and pull up!"-screamed Antares 1.

Antares 4 did exactly as he was told. The GAF-1 closest to him overshot, and Antares 4 was in a good position to fire missiles. He switched to SAAMs and fired two of them. The GAF-1 was hit by both missiles and disintegrated.

-"I got it!"-said Antares 4.-"I didn't think I could pull it off."

The remaining five GAF-1s retreated, flying towards the Pacific. However, the damage was already done. Most of the hangars, including the one where Antares 1's Su-57 was held in, had been destroyed, and most of the buildings still standing were seriously damaged. Ground vehicles of all classes and helicopters were nothing more than charred metal piles, and the tower where Burford and 6 more people were in was nothing more than a pile of rubble standing 13 feet tall.

-"They're leaving."-said Antares 1.-"Not a second too soon. Let's land."

The three planes landed, with Antares 2 and Antares 3 landing first, and Antares 4 landing later with help from Antares 1. The four pilots jumped out of their planes and dashed towards the debris of the tower to help the rescue team to get the personnel of the tower out of the rubble.

A couple of them were already dead. Four other officers were badly hurt but conscious. Soon afterwards, they managed to get Burford out of the rubble. He was badly wounded and he wasn't breathing.

A group of ambulances took the wonded to Martinez Security's private hospital in San Diego. Davenport, Foulke, Vásquez and Bartlett followed them in a green jeep of the Martinez Security Ground Forces.

-"How could this happen?"-asked Davenport, who was driving the jeep.-"The only existing units of the GAF-1 model were supposed to be those used by the Varcolac squadron, and you and I shot them all down, Hansel."

-"Beats me."-answered Foulke.-"All I know is that when I realized it, those eight planes were already heading to our base."

-"But from the northwest?"-asked Bartlett.-"That means they came from the mainland. Not only that, but they also headed to the ocean, instead of going back to wherever they came from."

-"Well, there's not much we can do about it, __rubito__ _._ "-replied Vásquez.-"Mr Burford is in critical condition and apparently, the base was bombed to near oblivion. We're very lucky the runway was intact."

It took the group ten minutes to reach the hospital. Burford was put on a stretch and carried to the emergency room. Davenport, Foulke, Vásquez and Bartlett took different seats in the waiting room, were they waited for four and a half hours, expecting a turn for the worse, before a bald doctor with black eyes summoned Davenport to an adjacent room.

After a couple of minutes, Davenport returned, pale as paper. The three pilots stood up.

-"How's he doing, Marlene?"-asked Foulke.

-"Comatose."-said Davenport, after taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Foulke swore, Vásquez puffed, and Bartlett sank down back to his seat.

-"The doctor told me that Burford was very lucky today."-added Davenport.-"He also said that if he had spent just one minute more under the rubble, the surgeons wouldn't have been able to save him. Even now, Burford is walking a thin line between survival and certain death."

-"Dammit!"-said Bartlett.-"This is just too much."

-"So, we lose not only our base, but also our commanding officer?"-said Vásquez.-" _ _¡De puta madre!__ "

-"Are you for real?"-asked Davenport.-"I don't think this is something to be happy about."

-"I'm not."-replied Vásquez, dryly.-"That expression is also used when things take turns for the worse, like now. In those cases, it's said with a shitload of sarcasm."

-"Figures. Things weren't this bad since the Golden Axe Crisis in San Francisco."-said Foulke.-"Before the Navy came in and helped us out."

-"And we still made it by the skin of our teeth. To add insult to injury, we lost your F-22."-added Davenport.-"And now, I also lost my PAK FA in that attack."

In that moment, an officer of Martinez Security approached them.

-"Miss Davenport, Mister Foulke, Miss Vásquez, Mister Bartlett, I've got bad news."-said the officer, whose ID badge identified him as a man surnamed Sartoris.-"According to the recent reports, Martinez Security has lost almost all of their aircraft in the recent attack. Only the planes you piloted were able to be saved. To make matters worse, 99% of the company's arsenal has been either destroyed or damaged beyond repair, we've got 27 casualties and 45 wounded of diverse severity, and the ground forces are only capable of small-scale operations. I'm sorry to bring the bad news, but someone has to do it."

-"Don't worry, Brian."-said Foulke.-"You only did what you had to do."

-"By the way, Miss Davenport."-added Brian Sartoris.-"An USN officer has requested a meeting with you and your squadron. It seems very important."

-"Thank you for the heads-up, Sartoris."-said Davenport.-"Where is he?"

-"Outside, waiting for you."-answered Sartoris.

The four pilots headed outside. There, wearing a suit and escorted by a couple of Navy soldiers, was a man with white hair and blue eyes.

-"You two must be Marlene Davenport and Hansel Foulke, I guess."-said the man in the suit to both Davenport and Foulke.-"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with either of the other two."

-"Yolanda Vásquez and Arthur Bartlett."-said Foulke.-"They just joined our squadron today."

-"By the way, who are you?"-asked Davenport.

-"I'm Admiral Jonathan Overbeck, of the 4th Fleet."-said the man.-"I heard about your reputation, Miss Davenport. Not that it matters any longer, though."

Vásquez and Bartlett thought they heard both Davenport and Foulke's fists clenching.

-"But that's not what brings me here."-said Overbeck.-"As you already know, unidentified aircraft have attacked your base and rendered it effectively inoperative."

-"Unidentified, you say?"-repeated Davenport, in disbelief.-"I guess you're not familiar with the GAF-1 Varcolac, then."

-"The matter is that they managed to get in and out of US airspace without being spotted until the very last moment, and shortly before they left territorial waters, they vanished."-continued Overbeck.-"We've got reports that they rendezvoused with an unknown fleet and left to the east."

-"So, the USN wants to intercept and destroy that fleet and the planes, right?"-guessed Davenport.

-"Yes."-answered Overbeck.-"I guess it would be a nice opportunity for you guys to get some work until you get to recover from the debacle."

-"As little as I'm keen on the Navy, I'm not going to say no to that."-said Davenport before turning to her wingmen.-"What do you guys think about this?"

None of the three pilots made any objections.

-"So it's official then."-said Overbeck.-"A Blackhawk of the USN will pick you guys up tomorrow at 10:00 hours. I understand you guys need some rest after today's events. See you guys tomorrow."

After that, the three USN members left.

-"I have a bad feeling about this, Marlene."-said Foulke after Overbeck and his escort were out of earshot.-"I know we have to get back at those bastards somehow, but we're going to need to be extra careful on our next mission."

-"I understand, Hansel."-replied Davenport.-"One of the things my mother taught me is that if something sound too good to be true, either it is false or has some sort of string attached. But we can't let this attack on Martinez Security slide. If we do, the people who were killed today would have died in vain."

-"You don't trust the Navy?"-asked Vásquez.-"They're offering us a chance to get a job and an opportunity to take the other five planes down."

-"I was dishonorably discharged with false charges after an officer tried to rape me, Vásquez."-said Davenport.-"So, go figures."

-"Wow, that's heavy!"-gasped Bartlett.-"And they expelled you and not the bastard that tried to rape you?"

-"Well, I killed that asshole when things took a turn to the left."-replied Davenport.-"Not only was that self-defense, but he also had it coming."

-"And despite that, they still pinned the blame on you, huh?"-said Vásquez.

-"Just because she was the daughter of an USN pilot who was at the wrong place at the wrong time."-said Foulke.-"Sins of the father, except the father was more a victim of sin that a sinner himself."

-"There are some that were against my discharge, but the fact that they took their sweet ass time to raise their voice against it does not help them earn my trust."-said Davenport.

 _Pacific Ocean, 350 miles east of U.S, July 16th 2016, 10:30 Hours; Weather: Sunny, clouded_

As promised, Marlene Davenport, Hansel Foulke, Yolanda Vásquez and Arthur Bartlett had been pickep up by an UH-60 Blackhawk, and carried to a Gerald Ford-class carrier, which was escorted by a couple of Aegis destroyers, four frigates and a couple of submarines. The carrier also had a plethora of fighters and helicopters ready to be deployed in case they were needed.

What none of the pilots of Martinez Security M42 Squadron knew was that they were heading directly into a deadly trap...

* * *

First chapter of Brave New World. First off, a belated Merry Christmas, and a not-so-belated Happy New Year, everyone. This chapter took me a bit longer than expected to write, and I also chose to keep some things a secret, for the sake of spoiling the rest of the story. Kudos to those who find the references to Star Wars Death Troopers and Left 4 Dead 2 in this chapter; they're a bit obvious if you think about it. Good luck and take care. See you next time


	3. Chapter 2: Enemy Fleet

****Ace Combat: Brave New World****

 ** **Chapter 2:Enemy Fleet****

 ** **To Slovenian folk: The name was Yura, don't worry. However, I'm not hiding my head in the sand, far from it. I'm facing the situation the best I can. As I pointed out, I have no problem with people complaining about the quality of my fics, but as you might see in my DeviantArt account (if you didn't, please take a look at it to understand the situation), I don't take the insults and impoliteness they posted in their reviews at all. Sorry if you think I'm evading the problem by deleting their comments, but I'm merely applying the rules I posted yesterday in my profile bio; the likes of users like Yura, who can't express their complaints politely are from now on persona non grata in my profile. Also, thanks for your critic. I'll do my best to solve that problem of my lack of descriptions and poorly-written dialogues.****

 _ _Pacific Ocean, 350 miles east of U.S, July 16th 2016, 10:31 Hours; Weather: Sunny, few clouds__

An UH-60 Blackhawk landed on the deck of the carrier, carrying four pilots of Martinez Security: Marlene Davenport, Hansel Foulke, Yolanda Vásquez, and Arthur Bartlett. They had been asked for help by the admiral Jonathan Overbeck, who was already on the deck, ready to greet them.

-"Welcome to the __Independence__ , ladies and gentlemen!"-Overbeck roared over the noise of the helicopter's blades, which eventually died off.

The Gerald Ford-class carrier, called __Independence__ , had an escort of two Aegis destroyers, called __Montana__ and __Washington__ ; four frigates, and a couple of submarines, the __North Carolina__ and the __South Carolina__. Overbeck escorted the Martinez Security pilots to the main hangar.

-"So, Admiral. What kind of planes are available to us?"-asked Davenport.

-"Most of the aircraft here are F/A-18Fs and F-35Cs, but most, if not all of them, are already assigned to USN pilots."-answered Overbeck.-"However, we've got a couple of F/A-18Cs and a couple of F-14Ds that are currently available to any pilot who needs them."

-"Like us now."-quipped Foulke.-"By the way, weren't the F-14s supposed to be retired already from the Navy?"

-"Exactly, Mr Foulke. However, the F-14Ds are in operational condition, and despite not being in first line anymore they're too valuable to be retired, especially since Wernher and Noah supplies us with anything we need."-stated Overbeck.-"You people will have quarters assigned for every one of you. The planes' technical files and compatible weaponry tables will be given to you by maintenance crew. Ask for a man called Benjamin Harris. He'll help you out."

In the main hangar, the four planes were being given routine maintenance.

-"I'd help you guys myself, but I've got duties to do. A fleet, no matter how small, needs to be managed properly. Feel free to ask for anything you need."-said Overbeck, as he left.

The four pilots walked into the hangar. Davenport walked towards a woman with greasy overalls, brown hair and blue eyes who was checking the air pressure in the wheels of an F/A-18C Hornet.

-"Excuse me, miss. We're looking for a guy named Harris."-she said.

The woman, a mechanic surnamed Baker, turned to Davenport.

-"Ben's on that Tomcat, checking the engines."-said Baker, pointing toward the F-14D on the far side of the hangar.-"By the way, welcome aboard."

-"Thanks."-said Davenport.

Davenport and the others headed to the F-14D, where a man with grey hair and brown eyes fiddled with the left engine.

-"Damn, this F-14's engines are a pain in the ass to maintain."-the man complained.-"Thank Wernher and Noah for supplying the Tomcat parts at a special price. Otherwise we'd retired these relics of the Cold War a decade ago."

-"Mister Harris!"-said Foulke.

-"Huh? Who's there?"-asked Harris, turning to the person who called him.-"Who are you guys?"

-"We're the Martinez Security pilots."-said Vásquez.-"Overbeck told us to ask for you."

-"Oh, yeah, the "privateers"."-said Harris.-"What do you people need."

-"We need the technical files and weapons compatibility files of the Hornet and Tomcat, sir."-said Bartlett.

-"Don't call me "sir", son."-said Harris.-"I know I'm older than any of you guys, but that's beside the point. Come with me to the main office."

The four pilots followed the mechanic to the office, which had a large window that allowed him to supervise the entire hangar. Davenport, Foulke, Vásquez and Bartlett sat down on respective chairs while Harris searched for the technical files.

-"Let's see, Tomcat, Tomcat, Tomcat,..."-murmured Harris, as he searched for the files.-"Ah, here it is. And the Hornet's are... here!"

Harris took two copies of each aircraft's manuals them on the main desk. All four files included the respective aircrafts' background, avionics details, and compatible weapons.

-"I guess you can make do with two copies of each plane's files."-said Harris.-"However, feel free to ask for another copy if you need them."

-"For now, these four will suffice."-said Davenport.-"Thanks for everything, Harris."

-"No need to thank me, lady."-said Harris.-"By the way, you're "Duke" Davenport's daughter, right?"

-"Yes, I am."-replied Davenport.-"So, what about it?"

-"Just asking."-answered Harris.-"I heards rumors about you, but I don't give credit to them. A person is as worthy as they believe themselves to be, not as much as others think they are."

-"I see. Don't mind my tone then. I'm just too used to be ostracized because of my father."-said Davenport.

-"That's not good."-stated Harris.-"No matter what happened to him, it's not your fault, and it's not your duty to pay for it."

-"At least there are people smart enough to understand that."-said Foulke.

-"However, there are people, in this very ship no less, that do not think as I do."-warned Harris.-"You'd better be careful with those, for they may be ruthless."

-"Thanks for the heads-up, Harris."-said Davenport.-"We'll read the files here, if you don't mind."

-"Of course I don't. I'll return to my maintenance tasks."-said Harris, as he left the room.

Davenport and Vásquez read the F-14Ds manuals while Foulke and Bartlett read the F/A-18Cs. According to the manuals, the F-14D, along with standard missiles and gun ammo, carried 8 SAAMs as a primary special weapon, with its optional weapons being 6 GPBs, 8 XLAAs and 6 QAAMs. The F/A-18C, on the other hand, while it also had SAAMs, it carried only six, and all the other special weapons were 8 4AGMs, 4 LASMs, and 6 UGBs, which meant that the F-14D was a more air superiority-oriented aircraft, and the F/A-18C would always be a multirole fighter. Furthermore, the F-14D was faster than the F/A-18C, although that came at the cost of less structural resistance.

-"How are we going to deploy this time, Marlene?"-asked Foulke.

-"Yolanda and I will take the F-14Ds."-said Davenport.-"I'll choose GPBs as a secondary weapon to attack the ships."

-"Fine by me. I'll load my F-14D with XLAAs."-said Vásquez.-"If we meet any fighters, I'll use the XLAAs to intercept them."

-"The XLAAs are not too good in air-to-air combat outside of interception."-said Foulke.-"And I think they still have five GAF-1s in their possession."

-"They do offer a good advantage over the SAAMs."-said Bartlett.-"The XLAAs have a longer range than the SAAMs and don't require a constant tracking. Also, the GPBs will be very useful in case they have carriers, which, considering the GAF-1s dissapeared over the sea, is a safe bet."

-"Then it's settled for us."-said Davenport.-"How about you guys?"

-"I'll choose the 4AGMs this time."-said Foulke.-"In different circumstances, I'd go for the LASMs, but I guess this is a good opportunity for Arthur to get some air-to-surface training."

-"The only drawback I see for the LASMs is that the Hornets only carry four of them."-said Davenport.-"The 4AGMs are less powerful, but the Hornet can carry twice the amount."

-"I guess I can handle that."-said Bartlett.-"I'll target the heavier ships, since the LASMs are stronger."

-"So, I'll take the carriers, if they have, Yolanda will fly escort, Hansel will take lighter ships, and you Arthur will take out heavier ships."-Davenport summed up.-"Any questions?"

-"Just one, although is more of a suggestion than a question."-said Foulke.-"Since all of us have SAAMs, we could take out enemy fighters on each other's tail."

-"In that case, I'm calling dibs on not pairing up with Bartlett."-said Vásquez.

-"You're not going to have to."-said Davenport before Bartlett could interject.-"You're going to cover us all, while Arthur, Hansel and I attack the ships. Which multiplies the number of airplanes you have to cover threefold."

-"Fine by me."-said Vásquez.-"The more fighters I get to shoot down, the better for me."

-"Then it's settled."-said Davenport.-"Let's talk to Overbeck to get our quarters' location."

Davenport and the others took the files with when they left Harris' office. They looked for Overbeck's office, taking about 10 minutes to reach the office. Davenport knocked on the door when they got there. Fifteen seconds later, Overbeck opened the door.

-"Come in, ladies and gentlemen."-said Overbeck, as he returned to his desk.-"I see Harris has already provided you with the aircrafts' files. What else do you guys need?"

-"We need the location of our quarters, sir."-said Davenport.

-"Well, they're right here."-said Overbeck, as he picked up the blueprint of the quarters section and pointed the quarters assigned to the Antares squadron members.-"Rooms 501 and 502. You'll have to make do with two rooms, though."

-"We'll manage."-said Foulke.-"By the way, how is the search going?"

-"Our radars show an enemy fleet about 900 miles west of our current position, heading 260 at 20 knots."-said Overbeck.-"It's going to take at least two more days to catch up with them, and we're expected to catch up with them just north of Hawaii. Our orders are simple: destroy them on sight."

-"What if the GAF-1s were deployed?"-said Davenport.-"I'm concerned about the safety of the carrier."

-"Apart from the CIWS system, a group of destroyers and a couple of submarines, we've got at least twelve planes, totalling two squadrons ready to be deployed."-answered Overbeck.-"And we've got you guys on our side."

-"Yeah, but the GAF-1s are no ordinary aircraft."-objected Foulke.-"And deploying so many aircraft takes some time."

-"Our squadrons are ready and waiting to be sortied."-replied Overbeck.-"We keep our planes in good shape, even the older ones we've provided you guys with."

-"In that case, I guess we have nothing to worry about, right?"-asked Davenport.

-"In your particular case, Davenport, other than a handful of, let's say, cranky pilots, none."-said Overbeck.

-"Is that so?"-replied Davenport.-"If that's true, let me tell you one thing, Admiral. I'm not a person who actively asks for truble; I'm more the type of person that unwittingly gets in them."

-"Let's hope you don't."-said Overbeck.-"Now, get to your quarters and get some rest. This travel must have been a bit exhausting for you people."

The four mercenaries left the room and headed to their quarters.

-"Am I the only one who thinks that Overbeck is keeping something to himself?"-asked Foulke.

-"Absolutely not."-answered Davenport.-"And I don't think it's the fact that a handful of pilots may hackle me."

-"What? Are you two afraid of some sort of conspiracy?"-asked Yolanda.

-"I don't know what the USN is trying to pull, or even if they are."-replied Foulke.-"However, if my suspicions are correct, when shit hits the fan, we're going to be in serious trouble."

-"Why do you think the Navy is going to backstab us?"-said Bartlett.-"I mean, they've already provided us with everything, from information to planes and weapons."

-"That's the issue, Arthur."-said Davenport.-"Since we're mercenaries, and despite the fact that Foulke and I saved San Francisco a handful of weeks ago, I don't think the USN is truly on our side. This is too good to be true. I suggest we keep our eyes peeled and hit the trail if things go south."

-"But where?"-asked Vásquez.-"I don't think we can find a conveniently placed base in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

-"That's what I'm worried about."-replied Davenport.-"If things go south before we get to the mainland, Asia or Oceania, our fate would be sealed in the worst possible way."

-"In that case, let's stick together and trust no one but us."-suggested Foulke.

The group got to their quarters eventually, where they had flight suits and spare clothes in a cabinet to the left side of the room, along with bunks opposite to the cabinets and a small restroom with a shower on the other side of the room.

-"So, how are we going to split the rooms?"-asked Vásquez.

-"I suggest we split the rooms this way: Hansel will share the room with Arthur, and I'll share my room with you."-suggested Davenport.-"I can see there's not much of a good blood between you and Bartlett, and there's no way I'm letting you sleep in the same room as Hansel."

-"Are you being jealous, __Mein Liebe__?"-asked Foulke with a coy grin.

-"W-what? No, I'm not!"-replied Davenport, blushing.

-"Don't worry, Davenport."-answered Vásquez.-"Right now, getting a boyfriend is not one of my priorities, by any means."

-"Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, lunch is served at the mess hall at 1:30 PM. I suggest we get some rest before then."-said Davenport.

Foulke and Bartlett entered room 502, and Davenport and Vásquez entered room 501.

-"So, what's going on between Foulke and you?"-asked Vásquez.-"I noticed how close you two are, and you were quite on the defensive when he asked you if you were jealous."

-"You're quite perceptive, Yolanda."-said Davenport, downcast.-"We've been an item for some weeks, but we've had little contact lately."

-"Really? How come?"-asked Vásquez.

-"He's been in the hospital after he was shot down trying to protect me."-replied Davenport.-"By the way, why are you asking that? I thought you weren't interested in getting a boyfriend."

-"I'm not. I'm just asking."-retorted Vásquez.-"I guess it's a bit of a touchy subject for you."

-"It is. Hansel has been through some nasty crap during his life."-said Davenport.-"He only opened up to me very recently. When we first met, he was untrusty and short-tempered."

-"Well, at least he seems to be a bit better than Bartlett."-said Vásquez.-"I don't like him. He's not nearly skilled enough to be able to pull off this mission. I would be very surprised if he lives for a week."

-"Let's hope that doesn't happen."-said Davenport.-"Hansel has already lost twelve wingmen, and losing a single pilot more would be devastating for us."

-"Twelve!?"-repeated Vásquez, shocked.-" _ _¡La madre que lo parió!__ That's a lot of pilots. How many years has he been serving in Martinez Security?"

-"Eight-ish years, give or take."-said Davenport.

-"So, he's lost a mean of one pilot every eight months."-guessed Vásquez.

-"Exactly. The icing on the cake is that his previous wingman was killed during his first mission."-said Davenport.-"All because Milosz Sulejmani, a former pilot of Martinez Security, had sold him faulty missiles."

-"He did what?"-asked Vásquez, perplexed.

-"Exactly what I said. Sulejmani also tried to pull the same trick on me, but just when I was about to decline, Hansel interjected."-said Davenport.-"He was still reeling from all the losses he had suffered, and I just laughed at him on his back for that."

-"Poor guy."-sighed Vásquez.-"And I thought I had pulled the short straw when..."

Vásquez went silent mid-phrase.

-"When what?"-asked Davenport.

-"Nothing!"-replied Vásquez, too forcefully, not looking at Davenport.-"Just forget what I said!"

To say that Davenport was flabbergasted by Vásquez's reaction was an understatement. Vásquez opened her F-14 manual and started reading, not paying attention to Davenport for the rest of the time they spent in the room.

Meanwhile, Foulke and Bartlett had entered their room.

-"By the way, I call dibs on the top bunk."-said Foulke as he closed the door behind him, with a smirk.

-"Well, at least my fall will be the softest."-replied Bartlett, half expecting an irated retort from his senior wingman.

To his surprise, he just chuckled.

-"You've got a good sense of humor, my friend."-said Foulke, patting him on the shoulder.-"By the way, you've got the hots for Miss Vásquez, right?"

Bartlett blushed hard, downcast.

-"Well,... I, uh..."-he stammered.-"I mean, she's beautiful, but she turned out to be quite a harsh and overbearing girl."

-"Is it something personal?"-asked Foulke.

-"I guess that, when we first met, I must have looked at her too funny, because she talked to me as if I had said something lewd to her."-said Bartlett.-"She also treats me like I'm a klutz."

-"I'm not the best person at giving advice to others when it comes to relationships, since I've been a loner for most of my life."-said Foulke, sitting down on the lower bunk.-"But let me tell you this: you shouldn't get involved with her unless it's necessary. Take things slow, and if things go right, you two will be on better terms."

-"But, what if things take a turn for the worse?"-asked Bartlett.

-"In that case, you will not be able to say that you didn't try."-replied Foulke.

-"I sure hope you're right."-said Bartlett.-"By the way, do you agree with Davenport?"

-"You mean on her hunch that the USN is trying to do something that we're better off not being part of?"-asked Foulke.-"I'd like to believe she's wrong, because we're on a very precarious position as of now. Most of Martinez Security's aircraft are destroyed and somehow we haven't been contacted by Wernher and Noah, or any other aircraft manufacturing corporation, to get replacement aircraft. To make matters worse, we're on a top notch aircraft carrier with enough firepower and warplanes to take out a small country in a matter of weeks. If Marlene turns out to be right, we only have a bunch of older aircraft to defend ourselves, and an entire ocean all around us."

-"I guess that's how the USS Indianapolis crew felt after their battleship was sunk."-said Bartlett.-"I read some articles about it. Nightmare fuel is too mild to describe it."

-"However, if we're heading where I think we are, we might have a chance to survive."-said Foulke.

-"Where exactly?"-asked Bartlett.

-"You'll see."-replied Foulke, cryptically.

The two men remained silent, reading their respective aircrafts' manuals until a siren rang out at about 13:00 hours. Seconds later, they heard a knock on the door.

-"Guys, it's lunch time."-said Davenport from the other side of the door.-"Let's get something to eat before the mess hall gets too crowded."

Foulke and Bartlett followed Vásquez and Davenport to the mess hall. Ten minutes later, they were eating in the mess hall, along with many pilots, officers and personnel. Davenport could swear many people were taking glances at her and whispering between each other, something she had come to loath during her short service in the Navy.

It only took a turn for the worse when a tough-looking man with brown hair and grey eyes approached her and her wingmen with a despective look of superiority in his face.

-"Well, well, well, if it isn't "Duke"'s little daughter."-he said. The badge in his uniform identified him as a pilot surnamed Crenshaw.

The four Martinez Security pilots turned around to face the man. Bartlett and Vásquez seemed a bit confused, not knowing what the man was talking about. Foulke was ready to act in case thing went south, since he knew about his girlfriend's past. Davenport, on the other hand, looked like she was one insult away from seething.

-"What do you want?"-Davenport asked, dryly.

-"Oh, nothing much."-said Crenshaw.-"I was just wondering why the hell would Overbeck welcome a bunch of mercenaries in our carrier. Especially since Marlene Davenport happens to be one of them."

-"Whatever reason Overbeck has to ask for our help is none of your business, flyboy."-replied Foulke, glaring at Crenshaw.-"In fact, you guys should be thankful that we bothered to assist you to begin with."

-"Don't make me laugh."-said Crenshaw.-"You mercs are not only a bunch of sell-outs, but your flight skills are mediocre at best."

-"Is that so?"-asked Davenport.-"You can try and talk all kind of shit you want about us, __Crenshaw__ , but at least, not a single soldier in Martinez Security brown-nosed their way into their place. And you look like the kind of guy who's got his nose so far up the top brass' ass that you wouldn't even sneeze without their say-so. You're far from what anyone would call a pilot."

-"You still got that nerve that always got you in trouble in the Navy."-retorted Crenshaw, coldly.-"But nonetheless, I'm curious as to what you had to do to be hired by Martinez Security; not only because of your criminal background, but because of your father's gross misconduct during his service."

The connotation of Crenshaw's words were too much for the four MS pilots, who stood up from the table they were on.

-" _ _Du Hurrensohn!__ "-said Foulke, irated.-"You know absolutely nothing about her father."

-"I know everything I need to know, little shit. Davenport's father was a pilot who got most of his squadron killed in the Middle East."-replied Crenshaw.-"By the way, did she tell you that the officer she murdered was my older brother?"

-"I wouldn't give a shit even if he was your father, you clown."-retorted Foulke.-"If you even bothered to make some investigation, your "saint" of a brother tried to rape her."

-"That's what she keeps repeating on and on like a broken record."-said Crenshaw.-"And I guess you and the other two weekend pilots behind you bought that like discount fish."

-"Sexual assault is not something you can make up, __imbécil__."-said Vásquez.-"You males seem to forget that at the drop of a hat at your own convenience."

-"Why don't you keep your mouth shut, spic rookie?"-scoffed Crenshaw.

-"Crenshaw, insulting me is one thing, and by doing that you're already treading on thin ice."-hissed Davenport, on the verge of knocking the tar out of Davenport.-"But insulting __and__ giving orders to my wingmen is one affront too many."

-"So what? What are you gonna do? Slap me?"-snarled Crenshaw.-"Just lie one finger on me, I dare you. You'll be kicked out of this carrier before you can blink."

-"I speak for every voice of reason when I say that the Navy needs us more than ever."-said Bartlett.-"If we, who have seen at least once what we're about to fight, are barely prepared for the futuristic aircraft our enemy is supposed to possess, you guys don't even fathom the gravity of the situation."

-"Kid, I've had more flight hours the last week that you'll ever have in your entire life. You'd be very wise to watch your petty mouth."-retorted Crenshaw, before turning to Davenport.-"And Davenport, you'd better keep a short leash and a tight muzzle on your British loser, your spigotty escort and your Nazi Germany whore."

As soon as he finished that sentence, Davenport snapped. She rushed to Crenshaw and punched him in his stomach, doubling him over. Before either of them could continue the fight, all literal Hell broke loose in the mess hall: several Navy pilots and the three Martinez Security pilots rushed to both Davenport and Crenshaw and pulled them apart, while both of them screamed their lungs out, cursing each other; military police shot blanks in the air to dissuade any possible further fighting, while making their way towards the two pilots involved in the fight. The MPs eventually handcuffed both Davenport and Crenshaw, and took them out of the mess hall to Overbeck's office.

Once the situation cooled down, Foulke, Vásquez and Bartlett looked for Davenport, who was waiting outside of Overbeck's office, custodied by two MPs. As soon as they approached her, one of the policemen raised his MP5K on Foulke, whol was leading the other two.

-"Easy there, seaman."-said Foulke.-"We're here just to talk with Davenport."

-"We have explicit orders of custodying her."-replied the man, lowering his submachine gun very slightly.

-"First off, does any of us three seem like we care?"-asked Foulke.-"And second, this corridor only has two exits. You two can get to either exit, and __if__ we try to bolt, you can catch us in the crossfire."

-"Fine by us."-said the other MP, a woman.-"You try that and we kill you three."

-"You said __you__ _three_. What about Davenport?"-asked Bartlett.

-"Davenport is scheduled to meet Overbeck as soon as Crenshaw leaves."-replied the first MP.-"We can't just get her inside full of holes."

-" _ _Flaco consuelo__."-said Vásquez.-"I bet fifty bucks Overbeck is going to rebuke her till we get wherever we're going."

The two MPs headed to either side of the corridor, watching the mercenaries' every move.

-"First off, tell me, Marlene."-said Foulke, who was not in a good mood.-"What, if you were, were you thinking when you beat that pilot?"

-"I'm telling you this here and now, Hansel, and this goes for you two too."-said Daveport to her wingmen.-"Nobody, and I mean __nobody__ , friend, foe, or otherwise, insults my wingmen, no matter the circumnstances."

-"That's nice and all, miss Davenport."-said Bartlett.-"But you went too over the top, and we're here just because of Overbeck."

-"Overbeck can't back down now, even if he wanted, which, given the situation, is at best unlikely."-said Davenport.

-"Are you sure __they__ need __us__ , and not the other way around?"-wondered Vásquez.

-"Yolanda, if those GAF-1s are still on the loose, the Navy does not stand a chance against them, and I'm being very optimistic on the Navy."-replied Davenport.-"We've all seen first-hand how destructive those planes are, and a fleet this size is no match for them."

-"Yeah, but Martinez Security does not have the necessary resources to take out our enemy, whatever they are."-said Foulke.-"You're treading on thin ice here, Marlene, and I'm not sure Overbeck will let this one slide."

Shortly after, Crenshaw left the office, fuming. He glared at Davenport, who return the angry look, while her wingmen stood by her side, ready to intervene.

-"Davenport, come in!"-screamed Overbeck.

After being uncuffed by the MPs, Davenport entered the office, followed by the other three pilots. Overbeck was sitting behind his desk, a stern look on his face. After they closed the door behind them, Overbeck stood up.

-"Marlene Davenport, you have been just a handful of hours in __my__ carrier, and you've already caused a lot of trouble."-said Overbeck.

-"Sir, whatever that pilot told you, he..."-said Davenport.

-"Dont. Interrupt. Me."-replied Overbeck.-"I hope you have a good reason to justify an assault on my top pilot."

-"You can bet his life on that."-said Davenport.-"Your so-called top pilot started insulting me __and__ my wingmen from the very first second he talked to us, and absolutely nobody did anything to stop him until after I punched him when he crossed the line."

-"Still, you've crossed the line, Davenport, something you've been doing all the time even when you still were in the Navy, according to the reports."-continued Overbeck.-"Samuel Crenshaw is our top ace, and he placed first in his class at the Navy's TOPGUN school last year."

-"Oh, is he now?"-asked Davenport.-"What did he do? Shoot down some static drones with long-range missiles?"

-"No, he's actually completed the course with an impeccable score."-said Overbeck.-"He's the only pilot so far to have defeated each and every instructor in DACT combat. His reports are unquestionable: he's virtually undefeateble."

-"Whether he's your top pilot or not, he has no right to insult others, no matter the circumstance."-replied Davenport, unimpressed.

-"Your reputation is your problem, miss."-retorted Overbeck.-"And it's you the one who has to deal with it."

Davenport's fists tightened when Overbeck said that, to the point where the nails dug into her palms and drew blood.

-"You want me and my wingmen out of your ship, officer?"-she spat.-"You only have to say the word. But remember that, if my suspicions are correct, your fleet will be reduced to a scrap heap on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and not even your "hot shot" Crenshaw will be able to prevent that."

-"In __any__ other circumstances, you and your wingmen would be out of my carrier as soon as we got to Hawaii. But you do make a point when you say that my fleet would not stand a chance against the GAF-1s. That is your saving grace."-said Overbeck.-"However, once we get this crisis sorted out, you four will not be welcome in this ship any longer than the trip to either the mainland or the islands. For now, you and your wingmen will remain in your quarters until further notice. Dismissed."

With that, Davenport left the office fuming, with Foulke, Vásquez and Bartlett following her to their quarters, escorted by the MPs.

-"Well, guess we're boned now."-said Bartlett.

-"You can say that again, kid."-said Foulke.

-"And all because a glorified asshole couldn't keep his bloody mouth shut."-sighed Davenport.

-"Well, this "glorified asshole" is gonna be flying with us, like it or not."-said Vásquez.

-"I just hope the GAF-1s get him before we can help him."-said Davenport.-"It would be glorious to see his inflated ego burst like a bubble."

-"Fifty bucks he wets his pants in less than twenty seconds after he engages one."-said Foulke.

-"I bet he'd piss himself just after seeing how tight those SOBs can turn."-said Davenport.

-"I wouldn't blame him, though."-said Bartlett.-"I've already seen those planes once, and that's one time too many."

-"Of course you'd say that."-said Vásquez.-"Davenport, Foulke and I are pilots. You're nothing but an ex-mechanic."

-"Yolanda, there's no need to be so hostile."-rebuked Foulke.-"When all's said and done, we're all part of the same squadron, no matter our past."

-"That aside, he's got barely a few hours of flight under his belt."-Vásquez retorted.-"I can't trust someone like that to watch my back on the battlefield."

-"What about you?"-asked Davenport.-"How many hours of real combat, besides your time as a Martinez Security pilot, have you got?"

Vásquez remained silent.

-"Thought so."-continued Davenport.-"You treat Bartlett like shit under your shoes, but you two are on the same situation combat-wise. I've been fighting ever since I joined Martinez Security last November, and Hansel has been fighting for about eight years."

-"So, why are you our flight lead, and not him?"-asked Vásquez.-"If we rank pilots by experience, you come quite short compared to him."

-"Turns out that she earned it."-answered Foulke.-"On June, she outperformed me as a pilot."

-"No, I didn't. You were shot down trying to cover me."-replied Davenport, sorrowfully.-"Had I been more careful, you wouldn't have been shot down, and you'd still be the flight lead."

-"Despite that, you managed to survive and take down those Golden Axe Plan bastards by yourself."-said Foulke.-"Being shot down to protect such pilot is a small price for victory, especially if you survive that scenario."

-"You got lucky."-said Davenport.-"Not all people get a second chance after such disaster."

The group finally arrived to their quarters, and the MPs left.

-"Vásquez, Bartlett, can you get to your quarters?"-asked Foulke.-"I want to talk with Marlene for a moment, if you catch my drift."

The two pilots got in their respective quarters, while Foulke and Davenport stood outside.

-"Marlene, I'm grateful for you standing out for me, but this one has been a foolish move, no matter how you slice it."-admonished Foulke.

-"I know it was not wise."-replied Davenport.-"But it's not easy to control yourself when some dipshit trash-talks about your friends and your loved one."

-"Still, we're in a USN carrier, and we only have ourselves to watch our backs, since I'm with you on your suspicions about this op."-answered Foulke.-"Last thing we need right now is to give these guys a reason more to hate our guts."

-"As far as I'm concerned, it's Crenshaw who's to blame."-said Davenport.-"He started this, not me."

-"I know, and I'm sure Bartlett and Vásquez do too."-said Foulke.-"But I guess those Navy guys don't give a damn about it. They might use that as an excuse to take us out during this mission."

-"If my suspicions are correct, they might already have one."-replied Davenport.-"A mere mess hall fight is not going to be enough reason for them to decide to kill us."

Foulke sighed. As much as he loved her, he knew all too well that Davenport was as strong-headed as a cape buffalo. As he looked down in defeat, he noticed the blood trickling between her fingers. In a reflex, he reached for her hands.

-"I clenched my fists too much during Overbeck's talk."-said Davenport, answering Foulke's unspoken question as he held her hands.-"Just minor cuts. Nothing to worry about."

Foulke nodded, accepting her explanation. It was then when they realized that since the moment before the briefing back at Martinez Security HQ, they never had a moment for themselves. The events that transpired after the training mission had taken control of their lives, and now they were about to face an unknown enemy, the ones who had destroyed their base and killed many of their co-workers.

Foulke and Davenport looked around, to ensure nobody was looking, and shared a short but deep kiss.

-"OK. See you later, Hansel."-said Davenport, breathing heavily.

-"Same here, Marlene."-replied Foulke.-"Take care."

They returned to their quarters, glancing and smiling at each other as they entered.

 _ _Pacific Ocean, 500 miles northeast of the Hawaiian archipielago, July 17th 2016, 20:30 Hours; Weather: Sunny, few clouds__

The Antares squadron had remained in their quarters evern since they had been left Jonathan Overbeck's office. To Marlene Davenport, this punishment was uncalled for. Not only she had been grounded for beating a pilot who had berated her and her wingmen without previous provocation, but her wingmen also paid the price and were confined in their quarters. All four of them had been prohibited from leaving their quarters, with cooks bringing them their rations when the dinner and lunch times came. Re-reading the aircraft manuals for the umpteenth time was not the entertainment they needed.

Davenport was reading her F-14D manual, while Yolanda Vásquez tossed a baseball back and forth while lying on her bunk, hitting the ceiling sometimes. In other circumnstances, Davenport would have asked her to stop, but in her state of sheer boredom and sensory deprivation, she couldn't care less.

The women were on their respective routines when they heard a knock on the door.

-"Ladies, you and the other two have a briefing with Overbeck!"-said a voice outside.

Sighing, Davenport stood up while Vásquez jumped down of the top bunk.

-" _ _¡Menos mal, joder!__ "-huffed Vásquez, as she stretched.-"I thought I would never leave this shithole."

-"Took the words right out of my mouth, Vásquez."-replied Davenport.-"One day more in here and I would have gone bananas."

They opened the door, and they saw that on the other side, a couple of MPs were waiting for the four Martinez Security pilots. Hansel Foulke and Arthur Bartlett came out of their quarters a moment after. The MPs escorted the group to the briefing room.

-"We can find our way to the briefing room."-said Davenport.

-"We have orders to keep tabs on you and your group, miss."-replied the MP on the front.-"Especially since your brawl yesterday."

It took not only Davenport, but also the rest of the MS pilots, all of their self-control not to knock the daylights out of those upstart MPs.

Once they arrived to the briefing room, things were not better for them. In the briefing room, twelve pilots waited for the briefing to begin. The four pilots recognized the one sitting in the front row: Samuel Crenshaw, the one responsible for being locked in their quarters. The Navy pilot, along with the ones presumed to be his wingmen, and the Martinez Security pilots glared at each others with hate. Davenport, Foulke Vásquez and Bartlett leaned against the wall opposite to Crenshaw.

Overbeck entered the room shortly after and began his briefing.

-"Ladies and gentlemen, I've got bad news for all of you."-he said, starting a humming murmur in the room.-"Satellite images and UAV images have shown that during these last hours, the fleet we were currently tracking has increased its size dramatically."

-"Excuse me, sir."-said Davenport, raising her hand, and earning a venomous stare from Crenshaw.-"How many ships are we expected to be dealing with as of now?"

-"Around forty-eight ships, including several frigates, destroyers, cruisers, Aegis destroyers, five carriers and a large battleship."-said Overbeck.

-"No problem."-said Crenshaw.-"We USN pilots can take on anything, anytime. Can't say the same for the mercs, though."

-"Sir, do we have any good pictures of the battleship?"-asked Foulke.

-"We managed to get one good photo of the battleship, sent just before the drone that took it was shot down."-replied Overbeck.-"This is it."

As he showed it, most of the pilots in the briefing room whistled in amazement or gasped in shock. Davenport and Foulke, however, knew that ship all too well, and the image they were seeing brought them nothing short of bad memories: four large caliber naval gun turrets in two groups on both bow and stern, with each turret containing three barrels; eight AA guns, mounted in pairs in the port and starboard sides of both the bow and the stern; four CIWS mounted side by side in the central section of the ship; and four SAM launchers, each consisting of six-tube launchers, mounted on both sides of the ship.

-"A Rechin-class battleship?"-asked Foulke.

-"You guys saw one of those before?"-asked Crenshaw.

-"Well, more like had to sink one."-said Davenport.

-"That ship looks like a goddamn fortress."-replied Crenshaw.-"How many planes did you have on your side to sink it, assuming you managed, which I doubt?"

-"It was only Foulke and I, and I can assure you the one we faced is rusting at the bottom of the Dardanelles Strait."-retorted Davenport.-"And to make matters more difficult to us, we had YF-23s and Su-47s bouncing on us while we attacked it."

-"I call BS. That thing alone would end you guys, let alone the YF-23s, and maybe the Su-47s."-said Crenshaw.

-"Say what you want, but you'll only be fooling yourself."-said Foulke.

-"Can we get back to the briefing!?"-asked Overbeck, not too pleased.-"OK, as I was saying, the size of the fleet is forcing us to form the following order of battle: Crenshaw, you and the Coywolf squadron will take care of the battleship before it can cause damage to our fleet."

-"Consider that sucker sunk, Admiral."-said Crenshaw.-"We'll show everyone how a ship is sunk."

-"Try not to ram your plane on the ship, God help me you'd make me happy."-mocked Davenport.-"I'd feel sorry for the guys tasked with scraping your jet off their ship if they weren't our enemies."

Crenshaw balled his fist, angered at Davenport's cockiness, while she chuckled under her breath.

-"Nash, you and the Marlin squadron will be tasked with a double role."-said Overbeck.-"Marlin 1 and 2 will be tasked with sinking the carriers and causing as much damage to the fleet as possible, while Marlin 3 and 4 will establish air superiority while also attacking the fleet at your discretion."

-"Understood, sir."-said a pilot with brown hair and blue eyes, and kinder look than Crenshaw.

-"Antares squadron, your mission will be to support Marlin squadron and take out any targets of opportunity."-said Overbeck.-"You guys have already chosen your aircrafts, weaponry and roles, I guess."

-"Yeah, sure."-mused Crenshaw.

-"Yes, we did."-replied Davenport.-"I've chosen an F-14D, and will take out as many carriers as the GPBs allow me to; Foulke, with an F/A-18C will take out smaller ships with 4AGMs; Vásquez will cover us with her F-14's XLAAs, and Bartlett will sink as many Aegis as he can with the LASMs his F/A-18 carries. Of course, if given the chance, we'll also take out any other aerial threats in the AO."

-"To think that you got everything planned out so soon."-mocked Crenshaw.-"Mighty surprising."

-"Seems like you guys have all wrapped up as far as planning goes."-said Overbeck.-"Comes without saying that all of you pilots will be on compulsory full alert. That means your planes will be ready for launch as soon as we consider this fleet is in danger. Also, I expect utmost cooperation of the three squadrons when the mission begins, no matter the circumstances."

Both Crenshaw and Davenport knew he was talking about the recent brawl, but neither of them seemed to care. Their loathing was mutual.

-"Unfortunately, we are alone in this mission, so we're gonna have to make do with whatever we have, so unless you wanna swim back to port, I suggest you protect the fleet, and especially the carrier, at all costs."-added Overbeck.-"You're all dismissed."

The sixteen pilots left the briefing room. Davenport managed to avoid Crenshaw, much to his dismay. The four Martinez Security pilots were on their way back to their quarters when they heard a voice calling them from behind.

-"Hey, miss Davenport!"-the voice said.

They turned around to see the guy identified as Nash running towards them.

-"So, you and your friends are gonna be flying with us?"-Nash said.

-"Of course."-said Davenport.-"I assume you have no problem, am I right?"

-"I'm actually thankful."-said Nash.-"You seem like a skilled bunch."

-"I wouldn't speak for rubito over here."-said Vásquez, pointing at Bartlett with her thumb.

-"Hey!"-protested Bartlett.

-"Well, better than nothing, I guess."-chuckled Nash.-"By the way, I'm Alexander Nash, but you can call me either Alex or Nash, whichever you prefer. You're Marlene Davenport, but I'm afraid I don't know the rest."

-"They are Hansel Foulke, Yolanda Vásquez and Arthur Bartlett."-said Davenport, introducing Foulke, Vásquez and Bartlett to Nash.-"I really hope we can consider you an ally of sorts. As you already know, popular is not a word I'd use to describe what I am to the rest of the pilots."

-"Don't worry. Crenshaw has quite a lot of ego. Too much for his own good, I dare to say."-replied Nash.-"He may be more skilled than all of the other Navy pilots combined, but he's about as humble as a peacock."

-"No need to say it twice."-said Foulke.-"Sexist, bigoted, uncouth, overbearing, priggish,... The list of adjetives to describe him is not flattering in any sense."

-"I admit he crossed the line yesterday."-said Nash.-"I mean, he looks his nose down at every other pilot, but insulting a bunch of mercenaries who bothered to help us out is too much."

-"Believe it or not, money is really low on our priorities right now."-said Davenport.-"I mean, we will get paid, but for us is a matter of personal offence. Our base was ended a couple of days ago."

-"It is an insult to the US too."-said Nash.-"To think a flight of unidentified aircraft would cross our airspace and get away with it... Someone has to be made accountable for this FUBAR."

-"Well, for now, we have an enemy fleet on our hands, and once we take it out, I'm sure the US will try to find the culprit, or culprits."-said Foulke.-"Well, we've gotta go back to our quarters. See you next time, Alex."

-"Same here, guys."-said Nash, waving them goodbye.

Meanwhile, Crenshaw approached Overbeck.

-"Sir, I'm still wondering why those mercenaries, especially Davenport, are still in the ship."-said the pilot.

-"Crenshaw, we're low on time and on our own."-replied Overbeck.-"Despite all your misgivings, we can't waste our time dropping them off at the Hawaii."

-"However, that doesn't mean you can allow them to sortie on this mission."-said Crenshaw.-"No matter the size of the fleet, we can take it on our own. Hell, with Nash's squadron support alone we can take out those ships with minimal damage to our fleet."

-"Captain Samuel Brandon Crenshaw, "-said Overbeck, fed up.-"if you want your squadron to take part on this operation you'll do it on the following terms: first, I'm in charge, and in case I'm not around, Rear Admiral Cranston is, and so on. The chain of command goes downwards, not upwards, or at least it was last time I checked; second, you and your men will return to the Sixth Fleet as soon as this mission's over, regardless of the result. If you don't like either of those two conditions, you and your squad are free to leave the carrier. That means you can choose to cooperate with the mercs or just let them do the dirty work, and I couldn't care less. But I've taken part on too many conflicts and have too many lives under my command to pay heed to any and all suicidal ideas. I hope this conversation does not take place again. Clear?"

-"Crystal."-replied Crenshaw, after a moment of silence.

As Overbeck left, Crenshaw took the opposite direction.

-" _ _You're in charge, you say__ _?_ "-he thought, snarling.-" _ _We'll see about that very soon,__ Admiral _._ "

Meanwhile, Davenport, Foulke, Vásquez and Bartlett returned to their quarters.

-"Well, it seems we're gonna have to wear our flight suits for now."-said Davenport once they arrived to their quarters and the MPs left.

-"Yes, and another round of Rechin-class battleship."-said Foulke.-"How did such a massive ship remain undetected until so soon?"

-"This has "cover-up" written all over it."-replied Davenport.-"Also, I'd keep an eye out for the Navy pilots. I'm not sure whether Nash will try anything -I wouldn't be surprised if he did, mind you-, but I definitely would not vouch for Crenshaw."

-"Amén. If there's anyone we have to distrust, is him."-added Vásquez.-"I'm sure he's still waiting for the chance to get back at us, especially you, Davenport."

-"Well, let's make sure he's the one who fires first, and not us."-said Bartlett.

-"Try not to get shot down, __rubito__ _._ "-chastised Vásquez.-"I'm not taking part on a SAR escort mission because of you."

-"Vásquez!"-said Foulke, scandalized.-"We're all on the same team, remember? No lone wolf __Kuhscheiße__ on a mission."

-"Hansel is right."-added Davenport.-"If we're divided, we're screwed. Especially now."

-"Whatever."-shrugged Vásquez.

-"Just in case, and I'm sure I don't need to remind you guys."-said Davenport.-"If the Navy tries anything funny, and I mean, anything whatsoever, we hightail it out of the combat zone."

-"Of course, if that comes to happen."-said Foulke.-"This is one time I wish you're wrong."

-"I wish it myself, Hansel."-said Davenport.

After that, they retreated to their respective quarters, all of them blissfully unaware that their true threat was not the fleet itself...

 _ _Pacific Ocean, July 18th 2016, 15:25 Hours; Weather: Sunny, few clouds__

Everyone expected the alarms to go off sooner or later and were prepared for their duties, but that didn't prevent every man and woman in the ship to jump out of their skins.

Marlene Davenport, Hansel Foulke, Yolanda Vásquez and Arthur Bartlett scrambled out of their quarters. This time, the MPs in the corridor did not stop them as they ran towards the hangar.

The two F-14Ds and F/A-18Cs were already fueled and armed. The planes had been repainted with the Antares squadron and Martinez Security roundels; the F-14Ds, which had the numbers "008" and "006", had a light grey paintjob with a black nose stripe and radome. The F/A-18Cs, which had the numbers "001" and "014", were painted in a light grey paintjob. The four pilots jumped in their respective planes' cockpits and prepared for their planes to be lifted to the carrier's deck. Samuel Crenshaw's and Alexander Nash's squadrons had already taken off when Davenport and Foulke prepared for take off. Shortly after securing them to the catapults, they were contacted by the tower.

-"Antares 1, Antares 2, Tower. Winds 070, at 10 knots."-reported the control tower.-"You're clear for takeoff."

Davenport's F-14D's engines roared with the afterburners, and once the brakes were disengaged, it went from 0 to 270 kph in the short distance between the catapult and the end of the ramp. Foulke soon followed suit, followed in short notice by Vásquez and Bartlett.

-"Antares squadron, Coywolf squadron, Marlin squadron, this is Overbeck."-said Jonathan Overbeck.-"The enemy is moving towards our fleet as we speak. Your respective objectives have already been clarified in yesterday's briefing."

-"Marlin 1, understood, sir."-said Marlin 1. His squadron's F-35C Lightning IIs had a dark grey paintjob, and an emblem of a marlin on both tail rudders.-"Rest assured; our fleet wil be intact by the end of this."

-"This is Coywolf 1, thanks for the reminder."-said Coywolf 1. His squadron's F/A-18F Super Hornet had a light grey paintjob with black trims on the wings and stabilizers, and a coywolf's emblem on the tail rudders.-"I'm sure the mercs will need it."

-"As if, Coywolf 1."-retorted Antares 1.-"If you're going down, crash where I can't see you, God forbid you'd make me happy."

-"That reminds me, Antares 1. Today's your birthday."-quipped Antares 2.-"A victory today shall be a nice gift."

-"Thanks a lot, Antares 2, but not the time for that."-replied Antares 1.-"Let's save the celebrations until after the mission."

-"Ladies and gentlemen, remember that you have a mission to accomplish. Save the bickering for later."-ordered Overbeck.-"Our fleet is 60 miles from the enemy's. You have to keep their guns and planes from reaching our ships at all costs."

The sixteen pilots were 15 miles from the enemy fleet by then, and despite hearing about its size in the briefing, they were astonished by its size: eighteen frigates, twelve destroyers, six Aegis, six cruisers, five Nimitz-class carriers, and leading the fleet, a Rechin-class battleship. To make matters worse, the enemy had already deployed a huge flight of forty fighters, comprised of six black F/A-18Cs, six F-14Ds with a Ferris paintjob, six Su-33 Flanker-Ds with two-tone grey camouflage, six MiG-29K Fulcrum-Ds with three-tone grey camo, six AV-8B Harrier Iis with grey and green camo, six white Yak-38 Forgers, and four Rafale-Ms with two-tone green camo. All those planes carried a combination of air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance, and they alone could decimate Overbeck's fleet. The Rechin-class battleship could also take out Overbeck's group on its own without taking more than a couple of glancing hits.

-"All planes, give priority to the enemy planes, the carriers, and the battleship."-ordered Overbeck.-"They already have a lot of planes in the air, and the last things we need is more bandits and the battleship firing on the fleet."

-"Roger that, sir."-said Coywolf 1.-"Coywolf squadron, let's sink the battleship."

-"This is Marlin 1 to Marlin 3 and Marlin 4."-said Marlin 1.-"Engange the enemy aircraft. Marlin 2 you're with me."

-"Antares squadron, engage enemies at will."-said Antares 1.

The skies erupted into chaos. While the eight F/A-18Fs headed towards the battleship and Marlin 1 and 2 attacked a couple of carriers, the rest of the planes engaged enemy aircraft. Using their SAAMs, the four pilots of the Antares squadron shot down a MiG-29K, an F-14D, an Su-33, and an F/A-18C respectively before engaging the enemy planes.

Antares 1 chased the MiG-29Ks, shooting another one down with SAAM. The other four surrounded her and tried to attack them from all sides, but another SAAM shot down a third aircraft. The three remaining MiG-29Ks desperately tried to gain the upper hand, and two of them actually managed to evade two respective SAAMs, only to be shot down by guns and a couple of standard missiles. The last one was not that fortunate, being shot down by another SAAM.

Antares 2's situation was similar: he actually managed to shoot down four of the remaining five F-14Ds he was fighting with SAAMs, one after another, in a grueling dogfight that required a lot of patience and dexterity on the mercenary's part; the other one, while able to dodge both an SAAM and a standard missile, was hit by another missile and shot down by a short burst of gun rounds, which hit both engines.

Antares 3, meanwhile, got much luckier with her SAAMs, actually managing to take out the Su-33s in rapid succession without a single miss, despite the enemies' attempts to shoot her down. It was only then when Antares 1 managed to see how good the former aerobatic pilot was in maneuvers: exploiting the F-14D's edge in speed, Antares 3 forced the Su-33s to follow her, hitting the brakes to make them pass, and shoot at least two of them in a single go, a process that she repeated three times, ending her foes.

Antares 4 was not that lucky: he only managed to hit another F/A-18C with his SAAMs before being swarmed by the other four F/A-18Cs. He was saved by the immediate actions of Marlin 3 and Marlin 4, who shot down two F/A-18Cs each with QAAMs.

-"Antares 4, don't worry about the fighters."-said Marlin 3.-"Take out as many VTOL aircraft as you can."

Antares 4 proceeded to attack the AV-8Bs first. Using his SAAMs, he managed to take out two of them. The other four exploded after being hit by a volley of XLAAs.

-"Pick up the pace, Antares 4!"-chastised Antares 3.

Antares 4 sighed as he turned to attack the Yak-38s, with the same results: two SAAMs, two confirmed kills. Again, Antares 3 used her XLAAs to shoot the other four planes down.

The Coywolf squadron, meanwhile, had surrounded the Rechin-class battleship. Their tactic was simple, yet effective: they attacked it from all sides, and, while some of their LASMs were shot down in mid-air while attacking, after just three attack runs, twelve LASMs intercepted by the CIWS, and twelve hits, all anti-air defences were wiped out, and the ship was exposed to Coywolf squadron's attacks. The battleship's crew, in a desperate attempt to save the ship, opened fire on the incoming F/A-18Fs with their naval guns, only for their ship to be hit time and time again until it sank, at the expense of every LASM the Coywolf squadron had. The Coywolf squadron suffered no hits during the attack.

-" _At least they are not all talk, after all._ "-mused Antares 1, as she saw the battleship sink.

Marlin 1 and Marlin 2 had managed to sink two of the five carriers, dropping two GPBs on each carrier's deck, while avoiding a lethal cloud of anti-aircraft guns and missiles fired on them. They pulled up to 3500 feet, turned around, dived towards the carriers, and dropped two GPBs, piercing the deck and splitting them in half.

-"All squadrons, good job."-said Overbeck.-"You've taken out the worst the enemy fleet had. Proceed to take out the rest."

-"Antares 1, roger that."-said Antares 1.

-"Marlin 1, affirmative."-said Marlin 1.

-"Coywolf 1 copies."-said Coywolf 1.

The three squadrons surrounded the fleet, firing everything they had on the enemy ships. Antares 1 sank the remaining three carriers in short order, as her F-14D was faster than Marlin squadron's F-35Cs. The other ships would have torn her apart if they hadn't been focused on the remaining fifteen planes. Antares 2 used his 4AGMs to sink eight destroyers in rapid succession, while Antares 4 sank four Aegis with his LASMs before getting away from the fray to avoid any possible enemy fire. Marlin 1 and Marlin 2 sank four frigates, one cruiser and one Aegis each with their remaining LASMs and GPBs, while Marlin 3 and Marlin 4 sank the remaining four cruisers and the Coywolf squadron wiped out the remaining eight frigates with a couple of standard missiles each.

-"Outstanding job, ladies and gentlemen."-said Overbeck.-"I've never seen anyone dominate the skies like that, and I'm sure the world has yet to see such an air-to-sea battle. You're cleared to land."

-"Let us land first, guys."-said Marlin 1.-"F-35Cs burn up a lot of fuel."

-"Go ahead, Marlin squad."-said Antares 1.-"We'll wait."

The four F-35Cs prepared to land, with Marlin 1 and Marlin 2 landing first while Marlin 3 and Marlin 4 flew by.

Suddenly, a frantic message was heard over the radio.

-"This is the __South Carolina__! I've lost contact with __North Carolina__ , and we're taking heavy fire!"-yelled the voice.-"A massive s...!"

The message was cut off almost instantly.

-" _South Carolina_ , respond!"-said Overbeck. When no response came, he talked th the rest of the units.-"All units, we've lost contact with the submarines. Stay alert, and prepare for immediate act..."

At that moment, a large number of missiles breached the surface, going off almost immediately after in a blinding flash of light. The entire fleet was blanketed in a series of explosions. The entire Marlin squadron was caught up too. When the light faded out, nothing remained but a bunch of sinking ships in flames.

-"What the fuck was that!?"-screamed Coywolf 1 over the radio.

-"It came from under the water."-said Coywolf 3.-"Must be some sort of sub."

-"Yeah, but with an amount of firepower unparalelled by any conventional weapon."-said Coywolf 6.

-"Oh, no, please don't be what I think it is..."-begged Antares 1 under her breath.

As in a mock to Antares 1's pleas, a huge sub emerged.

-"Bollocks!"-swore Antares 4.

-" _ _Parece un puto rascacielos!__ "-said Antares 3.

-"You've got to be shitting me!"-exclaimed Antares 2.-"A Scinfaxi-class sub!? I thought there was only one!"

-"Seems like we missed one."-replied Antares 1, chagrined.-"All units, climb up and spread out as much as you can! That includes __you__ and your wingmen, Coywolf 1!"

-"Negative, Antares 1."-replied Coywolf 1.-"You and your group of cowards run for the hills if you feel like it, but we're sinking that son of a bitch."

-"In your dreams, Coywolf 1. That sub's hull is too strong to be pierced by any of our remaining weapons."-shot back Antares 1.-"Firing standard missiles on that thing would be like spitting against a tortoise's shell."

-"Fine then."-sighed Coywolf 1.-"Coywolf 1 to all Coywolves, spread out and head south. I'll contact the Sixth Fleet for help."

The remaining twelve planes separated, with the Antares squadron heading north to offer as many targets as possible to the Scinfaxi-class submarine.

-"All hands, fire on those planes. Use the Nimbus missiles!"-ordered the submarine's captain.

A volley of twelve missiles were fired on all directions. The explosions, which ocurred at random altitudes, missed all the planes by mere inches. The battlefield soon turned into a pandemonium, with the pilots evading volley after volley of missiles. Antares 4 would have died a lot of times if Antares 1 hadn't warned him time and time again.

-"Antares 1, something's off."-said Antares 2 two and a half minutes after the Scinfaxi-class submarine sank the fleet.

-"What do you mean, Antares 2?"-asked Antares 1.

-"I've been trying to make contact with Coywolf squadron, but they're not responding."-replied Antares 2.

-"It might be a side effect of the explosions."-proposed Antares 4.

-"Negative, Antares 4."-replied Antares 1.-"2 and I have seen these missiles in action before, and they cause no side effect, at least in communications."

-"Maybe these are a new type of missiles, like a version 2.0 or something like that."-said Antares 3.

-"If they are, they surely kept the destructive power intact."-said Antares 2.

-"In any case, let's head south and try to get a visual of these bozos."-proposed Antares 1.

They turned around and headed south, scanning the skies for the Coywolf squadron. The sub, apparenty having ran out of ammunition, inmersed back into the ocean and left. Soon, a new voice came over the radio.

-"Antares squadron, this is Admiral Allen aboard the USS __Liberty__ , of the 6th Fleet."-said the voice.-"What is your situation?"

-"This is Antares 1. We're over the AO, and all ships, allies and hostiles, are sunk, except a Scinfaxi-class sub that is leaving the area."-said Antares 1.-"We lost contact with Coywolf squadron a while ago."

-"Try to contact them."-said Allen.-"They had to switch frequencies during the fray and they should be within visual range soon."

Antares 1 switched frequencies until she made contact with the Coywolf squadron.

-"Coywolf squadron, this is Antares 1."-she said.-"What is your situation?"

-"Antares squadron, this is Coywolf 1. We're heading in your direction."-replied Coywolf 1.

Right then, Antares 1 noticed something fishy.

-"Coywolf 1, this is Antares 1. You and your wingmen have your radars activated."-she reported.-"Are you engaged with enemy units?"

This time, however, she got no reply.

-"No response, lead."-said Antares 2.-"What the hell's with them?"

Soon after, the Antares squadron got a visual on the Coywolf squad.

-"Coywolf squad, give me your status immediately."-Antares 1 ordered.

After that, the missile alerts blared on her F-14D's cockpit.

-"Missiles in the air!"-she screamed.-"Antares squad, evasive maneuvers."

The Antares squadron evaded a volley of thirty two missiles fired on them. Antares 1 saw the vector of the missiles and almost froze when she saw that the missiles had been fired by the Coywolf squadron. The Coywolf squadron promptly surrounded the Antares squadron, splitting in pairs.

-"What's the big idea, Coywolf squadron!?"-Antares 1 shouted.-"You're firing on allied units!"

-" _ _Pero qué hostias-?__ Two of those Yankees have me locked!"-reported Antares 3.

Other two members of the Coywolf squadron were chasing Antares 4, who was hit by gun fire.

-"This is Antares 4, I'm hit! My right engine is inoperative, and the left is taking damage!"-Antares 4 said, as his F/A-18C spewed black smoke and faint flames.

-" _ _Eigenbeschuss!__ Blue on blue! Blue on blue!"-howled Antares 2.

-"Coywolf squadron, this is Antares 1. You're firing on friendly units. I repeat, you're firing on friendlies."-Antares 1 insisted.-"Cease fire immediately!"

-"Seems like these bozos are not going to listen to us, 1."-said Antares 2.

-"Antares 1 to Antares squad, Coywolf squadron is hence forth considered hostile. I say again, USN flight is hostile."-said Antares 1.-"Antares 2, 4 is no longer combat capable; take him to Midway. Antares 3, you're with me. Let's take these assholes down."

-"Antares 2, roger that. 4, follow me."-Antares 2 said.-"1, 3, take out every last one of them!"

Antares 2 and Antares 4 headed northeast to escape the area, with Antares 4 leaving a trail of smoke. Antares 1 and Antares 3 were left behind to deal with the eight F/A-18Fs. Antares 2 engaged the two planes that had engaged her. The odds were not stacked with the Antares squadron: two F-14Ds against a squadron of F/A-18Fs, and their planes only had a couple of SAAMs each. The Coywolf squadron, on the other hand, had sixty four 6AAMs in total, which meant each plane had eight 6AAMs, way too much of an overkill.

-"These are no noobies. These Super Hornets are a lot better than most of what we've faced so far."-Antares 3 said, as she engaged two planes that tried to attack Antares 2 and Antares 4 as they left.

-"It's them or us and I'm not giving them a chance."-Antares 1 replied, as she fired one of her last SAAMs on one of the enemy planes, which made contact with the F/A-18F, damaging it.

Antares 1 was about to finish it off when another two F/A-18Fs got on her six, trying to shoot her down. She broke left to evade them as they fired 6AAMs on her. Antares 1 managed to avoid the wave of missiles fired on her direction, and counterattacked promptly, firing a couple of missiles on one of the two attackers, shooting the plane down.

-"Antares 3, sitrep."-Antares 1 said as she got on the second F/A-18F's tail.

-"Tearing them a new one, Antares 1."-replied Antares 3, as she shot down another fighter with an SAAM.-"But these guys give no second chances; they have a good playbook."

As Antares 1 tried to open fire on the F/A-18F, another bandit almost slammed into her, forcing her to break away to avoid being rammed. She caught a glimpse of the pilot.

-" _Crenshaw, you lowlife bastard!_ "-she thought.-" _Just wait until I get you!_ "

Coywolf 1 had already lost two pilots and two pilots more had been damaged to the point of being forced to retreat. He was seething and willing to do anything to take down the two pilots in the area and go after the other two.

-"So, you managed to evade me, Davenport?"-he asked.

-"What the hell's right with you, Crenshaw?"-replied Antares 1.-"How much did they pay you to kill us, you son of a whore!?"

-"Pay?"-said Coywolf 1.-"I'm just following orders, merc."

-"Whose? Overbeck's?"-asked Antares 3.-"Was this mission a ruse of his?"

-"Overbeck and his men were a cornucopia of morons. They're lucky they sank with their ships."-replied Coywolf 1.-"It's going to be a great pleasure to shoot you all down. Especially you, Davenport."

-"Oh, is that so?"-retorted Antares 1.-"Come and get me, loser. Your fate won't be different from Sulejmani's."

-"Who the fuck is that guy?"-asked Coywolf 1.-"Sounds like a baker's name."

-"I'll be expecting the same question the next time I talk about you."-said Antares 1, as she chased him.

Antares 1 and Coywolf 1 engaged in a vicious battle. Bullets and missiles missed the respective planes by tenths of millimeters. Antares 3 kept the rest of the flight busy while the two flight leads fought, despite being on a 5-to-1 disadvantage, using her experience in maneuvers to shake off the attacks; however, the massive disadvantage meant that she got no more kills, even with her last SAAM, which missed Coywolf 5 by a long shot. Antares 1, meanwhile, struggled to hit Coywolf 1, who evaded her time after time.

-" _This guy's better than I gave him credit for!_ "-she mused.

Antares 1 eventually managed to get behind Coywolf 1 and chased him, firing her last SAAM, which Coywolf 1 evaded with ease. However, Antares 1 didn't give up, as the maneuver left him within gun's range. A handful of bullets found their way to the F/A-18F's fuselage and tore several holes near the engines. Coywolf 1 turned hard to evade another attack and increased speed to gain some breathing room, with Antares 1 chasing him relentlessly, firing her guns on him.

-"Farewell, daughter of Duke!"-said Coywolf 1, as he evaded the attack and fired his guns on Antares 1, hitting her.

The 20mm rounds hit the right engine and the aft fuselage, causing serious damage to Antares 1's plane.

-"Captain, we have to leave now. We're bingo fuel, and we already lost Coywolf 4 and Coywolf 7."-said Coywolf 3, before Coywolf 1 could finish his opponent off.

-"Roger, 3."-replied Coywolf 1, leaving with the rest of the flight, before talking to Antares 1.-"Enjoy crashing into the ocean, Davenport. You'll stand better odds than if we meet again."

Antares 1 didn't reply. Her plane was damaged, but not enough to prevent her from reaching Midway.

-"Let's meet with 2 and 4, Antares 3."-she said.

-"Roger."-replied Antares 3.

-"Let's hope Antares 4 managed to land safely."-sighed Antares 1.

-"Knowing him, he possibly botched the landing."-answered Antares 3.

Half an hour later, Antares 1 and Antares 3 managed to reach the Midway Islands.

-"Antares 1, this is Hansel."-said Hansel Foulke.-"Arthur and I managed to reach Midway safely, but his Hornet is totalled. How are you doing?"

-"Got several hits, and I'm losing oil pressure."-Antares 1 replied.-"Is the runway clear?"

-"It is, lead."-answered Arthur Bartlett.-"Mister Foulke and I pulled my plane out of the runway after I landed, but this place is out of supplies. Otherwise I'd be able to fix it."

-"Sounds like you won't get your chance to be useful for a change, _r_ _ _ubito__."-quipped Antares 3.

-"Zip it, Antares 3. Let's land and try to get a grip on the situation."-chastised Antares 1.

-"About that, Sartoris contacted me from the mainland."-said Foulke.-"He's got some news for us. None of them good."

Antares 1 lowered her landing gear and prepared to land, followed by Antares 3. As soon as the F-14D touched down, the plane began jittering a little bit. Antares 3 saw the plane shake and pulled away as soon as she was able to take an exit from the runway. It didn't take long for the F-14D's landing gear to collapse.

-"Damn!"-Antares 1 swore as her plane skidded over the tarmac.

Thankfully, the plane just skidded for a couple of seconds before stopping. Marlene Davenport climbed out of the plane in time to see Yolanda Vásquez jumping out of her plane, and Foulke and Bartlett speeding towards her plane in a crash rig. As soon as the two pilots got close enough to the plane, they started extinguishing the few flames thaat spewed from the damaged aircraft. It was not long before they managed to secure the plane.

-"So, how does this mishap leave us, Hansel?"-asked Davenport.-"An F-14D and an F/A-18C non-combat capable, I guess."

-"Far worse."-said Foulke.-"Let's get inside and I'll show you."

-"How much worse?"-asked Vásquez, as she joined the group.-"Apart from officially being in the US _persona non grata_ list, I mean."

-"If only it was __just__ the United States, Miss Vásquez."-said Bartlett.-"This disaster was just the tip of the shit iceberg. As in the flake in the very top."

Davenport and Vásquez followed Foulke and Bartlett, wondering what could possibly be so bad. Little did they know that the two pilots were not exaggerating at all...

 _ _Midway Islands, Pacific Ocean, July 18th 2016, 17:10 Hours; Weather: Sunny, few clouds__

Marlene Davenport, Hansel Foulke, Yolanda Vásquez and Arthur Bartlett were in different seats in the base's briefing room in a videocall with Brian Sartoris.

-"I'm glad you and Vásquez managed to reach Midway alive, Davenport."-said Sartoris, relieved.-"How are you guys doing?"

-"Not good at all."-replied Davenport.-"Only two planes airworthy, zero repair supplies, and not enough fuel to reach anything beyond Hawaii. And judging by the fact that we shot down two members of an USN squadron, it's not likely we'd manage to get any close to US airspace without a wave of SAMs on our backs."

-"Davenport, this was not the USN's doing."-answered Sartoris.-"Soon after you guys left, an international network of hard-line soldiers and officers carried out a worldwide coup d'etat."

-"You're kidding, right?"-asked Vásquez.-"That sounds like pure fiction."

-"I wish I was pulling your leg there, Vásquez."-replied Sartoris.-"But no, this was an honest-to-God takeover. The group, which calls itself The Knights of Ulysses, is trying to make profit of a conflict that lasts as long as possible, and to make sure of that, they are trying to eliminate any and all opposition, both in the official military branches of every country and the PMCs that they can't control. And given that Davenport and Foulke are responsible for the downfall of the Valahia and Olivieri's Golden Axe Plan, you four are priority targets."

-"And I guess Overbeck was also a sacrificial lion to these Knights of Ulysses, right?"-asked Davenport.

-"No, Overbeck was one of the many officers the Knights of Ulysses deemed dangerous."-replied Foulke.

-"Exactly. Anyone not playing by their rules has been or is about to be eliminated in short order."-continued Sartoris.-"We had to move Burford to a secret location to prevent him from being killed."

-"That reminds me, sir. Has there been any change in our CO's condition?"-asked Bartlett.

-"No, kid. He's still in coma."-answered Sartoris, sadly.

-"But, what about the fleet we took out?"-said Vásquez.-"Were they in league with them?"

-"They were just a group of PMC fleets that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, fleeing from the Knights of Ulysses and heading for Russian territory to support their efforts."-said Sartoris.-"There are some groups of resistance all over the world, but they are few, poorly armed and far between in most cases."

-"Let me guess, the Knights of Ulysses fed a mole with false information about the whereabouts of the GAF-1s and that mole gave that info to Overbeck, so that he, and us, took the bait and chased a group of innocent mercenaries."-said Davenport, horror dawning on her.-"But, that doesn't explain the dissapearance of the GAF-1s, or the presence of a Scinfaxi-class submarine."

-"The GAF-1s turned out to be drones, which ended up crashing in the Pacific far away from territorial waters to avoid suspicion."-replied Sartoris.-"The Scinfaxy-class submarine, which, according to our informers, is nicknamed __Leviathan__ , is one of the three they use to cow most of the countries into submission. And it's not the only superweapon the Knights have in their power. There have been reports of many prototype aircrafts and some of the Stonehenge bases falling into their hands."

Davenport and Foulke looked at each other, knowing what those news meant. Davenport could swear Foulke's face had paled at least five shades.

-"Have you got any more info we could use, Brian?"-asked Davenport.

-"Those are the few details we could get."-said Sartoris.-"We've lost a lot of agents to get such little information."

-"Could you send us some supplies?"-asked Vásquez.-"If not planes and weapons, at least spare parts, fuel and food. I'm not sure this base has much of either."

-"If we could, you would have had anything and everything you needed, guys."-answered Sartoris, shaking his head.-"The security is really tight around here, and the Knights of Ulysses make double sure they check any and all supply planes and ships that try to leave their territory. If they have any suspicion these supplies are going to end in their enemies' hands, they destroy them and take the crews prisoners. At least officialy."

The four pilots knew the implications of the last words of Sartoris. "Officialy" was an euphemism for what the Ulysses would do to those unfortunate souls.

-"I'm gonna cut the transmission now."-said Sartoris.-"We can't afford to be tracked and discovered. Good luck to you all, and I truly hope you guys to make it out of this pinch alive."

Sartoris cut the transmission, leaving a blank screen.

-"So, in a scale of 0 to 10, how fucked are we?"-asked Vásquez.

-"About 50-ish, give or take."-replied Foulke.-"After we got here, Bartlett and I checked the food storeroom and any and all vending machines for food and drinks. Rationating them very tightly, they'll hold out for a week. After that, __Got hilf uns__."

-"That means..."-said Bartlett.

-"God help us."-replied Davenport.

As in a mock, a huge explosion went off in the water, a few dozens of yards to the southeast of the beach. The four pilots rushed to the control tower to get a better view of the area. Davenport opened the door and picked up some black binoculars to take a look; what she saw made her heart skip a beat.

A huge USN fleet was looming in the horizon, approaching fast. At least one carrier, four Aegis and six destroyers formed the fleet.

-"Let me guess. Big trouble."-guessed Foulke.

-" _ _Big__ doesn't make it justice."-replied Davenport.-"Take a look by yourself."

Foulke took a look and gulped hard.

-" _ _Mein Gott__ , you weren't kidding."-he said.-"At least as big as Overbeck's, if not larger."

-"How many?"-asked Vásquez.

-"We've counted at least seven heavy ships. Likely more."-said Davenport.

-" _ _Mierda!__ "-swore Vásquez.-"Not good!"

-"We're trapped in an island in the middle of the planet's largest, deepest ocean; we're short on ammo, food and supplies; we're surrounded by the USN, which is ruled by a group of warmongers..."-enumerated Bartlett, before getting to his knees and punching the floor, screaming.-"Can shit hit the bloody fan ANY harder!?"

At that moment, the phone inside the control tower rang. Davenport picked it up.

-"Hello?"-she asked.

-"Marlene Davenport, I suppose. Seems like that warning shot fired off the beach got your attention."-said the voice on the other side of the phone.-"Before I begin, could you please turn the intercom on, in case you have one? I want you and your friends to hear me out."

Davenport did that.

-"Thanks a lot. My name is Admiral Nicholas Allen, of the 6th Fleet, aboard the USS __Liberty__."-said the now identified Allen.-"I supposed we talked a few hours ago."

-"Yes, we did."-replied Davenport.-"Just before the Coywolf squadron attacked us."

-"They were following my direct orders, my __dear__."-said Allen.-"You guys are a thorn on the Knights of Ulysses' side. Not only you guys took the Valahia out, but you also eliminated Olivieri and his private army."

-"And you guys want to kill us for that!?"-asked Foulke, irated.-"Insane bastards, you should be thanking us for that instead! We saved the entire world's hide in both occasions."

-"For a seasoned mercenary, especially one called "The Angel of Death", you're quite naive, mister Foulke."-replied Alled.-"You think that the world just works like that? Boom goes the villain and the heroes live happily ever after in a peaceful world? Don't make me laugh. War is the essence of man. You take an enemy out and you have the next knocking on the door within a week."

-"And you guys want to stop that trend by maintaining the world in some sort of Second Cold War, I guess."-quipped Davenport.-"Without having a clear enemy, just waging a never ending war for shits and giggles. Tell me, Allen, how batshit insane are you?"

-"I don't expect you or your posse to understand the ins and outs of the Knights of Ulysses' plans, Davenport."-replied Allen.-"What I want you to understand is that you are in the direst situation any human being can think of. I'm sure the island hasn't been resupplied in weeks, and I'm going to make sure it stays that way. As we speak, three additional fleets are on their way to establish a blockade around the Midway Islands. Any and all supply ships or planes that somehow make it to the area will be shot down on the spot."

-"So, what is your deal?"-asked Davenport.

-"You guys must surrender to our fleet in the span of a week. To signal your intentions of surrender, you'll have to hang three white flags in the masts of your base. A small boat will pick you up and take you to the carrier, where you will be trialed for shooting down and killing two USN pilots."-said Allen.-"But don't worry. At worst, you'll get life sentences in separate military prisons. But you'll stand better odds that way. For, if you haven't surrendered by July 25th at 14:00 hours, a nuclear missile will be launched to wipe out the Midway Islands, and you four with them."

The four pilots grew cold with fright. It was then when they realised how far the Knights of Ulysses were willing to go to achieve their twisted objectives.

-"Without due respect, __Admiral__ Allen,"-said Davenport, after regaining her poise.-"you must have your head up your ass if you think that I'm going to surrender my life, or the lives of the people under my charge, under any conditions, let alone such hideous ones."

-"Don't talk for everyone, Davenport."-responded Allen.-"I'm not sure they'd be willing to just sit this chance out given the alternatives."

Davenport looked at her wingmen, looking for an answer. Foulke and Vásquez shook their heads, showing that they would not pay heed to the USN terms. Bartlett was trembling like a leaf, but after taking a couple of deep breaths, gave her a thumbs up, to show her that, scared as he was, he was willing to stay with them until the bitter end.

-"I'll tell you what you can do with that joke of a chance of yours, Allen."-replied Davenport.-"You can go back to Hawaii, buy a can of sex lubricant, smear the chance with said lub, and that will help you shove it smoothly up your ass."

-"Let's see what you say after a week, Davenport."-growled Allen.-"Before I leave, I want to quote something a certain someone asked me to tell you: __You, the Nazi, the Spic chic and the Brit loser should have just crashed into the ocean instead, you miserable redhead cunt! I can hardly wait to see the nuke fry your sorry ass!__ Guess who. Talk to me after raising the three white flags. Until then, time's running out for you guys."

After that, the comunication died out. Davenport sat down, rubbing her temples, trying to keep herself from screaming in rage and frustration. Foulke was clenching his fists, wishing he had Samuel Crenshaw's neck in them. Vásquez and Bartlett just stood where they were with expressions of fake neutrality, but their eyes shone with fear and despair.

-"Guys, I know I said I wouldn't surrender you, but you can leave if you want."-said Davenport after half a minute of silence, in a meek manner.-"I don't care if it kills me, but I would not die in peace if you buy the farm because of me."

-"Marlene, you must think very poorly of us if you even entertain the idea of us leaving you behind."-said Foulke.-"I know things started roughly between us, but I'm done living in the past, and even if my future is going to be cut short because of a nuclear missile launched by a gaggle of pig-headed warmongers, I'll face Death with a smile if it means staying with my new friends and you till the end. And besides, you think Burford would let me live it out if I left you behind? He'd make it to Hell just to kill me ten times over for leaving two new recruits along with his protegèe, who also happens to be my girlfriend, behind."

-"I'm in no need to explain my reasons, but I swear in the Holy Mary's name that I'm not going to leave my new partners behind."-added Vásquez.-"Even if they're a bossy redhead, her PTSD-affected boyfriend, and an ex-mechanic pilot wannabe."

Vásquez's comment was met with a tempered amusement by the three other pilots.

-"I'm not a man of action, that's for sure. In fact, I've faced death more times in this last week than during my entire career as a RAF mechanic by a long shot."-said Bartlett.-"But I'll be damned, I say, I'll be damned if I turn my back on you three out of fear. In any case, if they nuke the island, we'll still die in our own terms. By their hands, but on our feet, which surely beats scraping a miserable life in some military prison."

Davenport was moved by her wingmen's words. All of them preferred to die rather than leave one of their squad behind, and they would stand by her side even in the dire circumstances they were in.

-"In that case, let's just wait for Hell to be unleashed upon this place together."-she said, with a smile.-"And make ourselves comfortable until Death comes by to take our souls."

-"It's said Death smiles upon us all."-said Foulke.-"So, let us smile back."

After that, the four pilots left the tower and headed to the kitchen, where Foulke and Bartlett had left the remaining food and drinks remaining on the island. There was another pile of food nearby, but most of them was spoiled and inedible.

-"So, this is all, right?"-asked Davenport.

-"Yes, a week's worth of energy bars, isotonic drinks and water."-said Bartlett.-"That's all mister Foulke and I managed to salvage when we got there."

-" _ _Espléndido__."-quipped Vásquez.-"Just about the time we've got until those assholes nuke our sorry necks. At least starvation and dehidration are no longer a problem."

-"And I thought I was a pessimist."-chuckled Foulke.

Each of them picked up a bar and a glass of water.

-"Cheers for our ever shortening lives, and may the Devil goes to town on our enemies' asses after our death."-toasted Davenport.

-"A-fucking-men, __Fraülein__ _!_ "-said Foulke.

-"I'll drink to that. May karma pay these assholes back with interests."-added Bartlett.

-" _ _Por nosotros!__ "-cheered Vásquez.

The four drank the glasses with the same fruition they would if they were drinking the finest wine. After that, each ate their bars in silence. When their "meal" was over, they went to the rec room, where they played poker for a while. Foulke won a couple of times, with a full house and a two pair of aces and queens; Davenport got three victories, comprised of two full houses and a four of a kind, jacks; Vásquez managed to score a victory with a royal straight flush of shamrocks; Bartlett was the big loser. None of them, however, bet any money. They were sure that they'd die too soon to spend any gains.

After the games, Bartlett and Vásquez left to a different room each, while Davenport and Foulke shared a room. Outside, the enemy fleet sieged the islands, a grim reminder of their future.

-"It's almost cathartic, isn't it?"-asked Davenport as she sat down on the bed.-"A whole life dedicated to air combat, all around the world, just to end in the very same place we met."

-"You can say that again, Marlene."-replied Foulke, staring out the window with a sad smile on his face.-"Ten months ago, I'd have bet my entire fortune that I'd die in some mission God knows where. But now, I feel cheated by luck, and I can't even be mad, because, if surviving means leaving you and the others behind, I'd be back to square one. Alone, bitter, and wishing a death I could have been granted."

-"Too bad the price of freedom and peace is standing against this twisted new world order."-sighed Davenport.-"The sad part is that we can't do anything about it, and that we're not going to live to fight back."

-"Only two planes, limited fuel and ammo, and little food and water, with no means of obtaining any supplies and encircled by the USN."-summed up Foulke.-"Not my cup of tea, but better than to give in to their asinine demands."

-"Damn right. At least you and the others are in this with me of your own accord."-said Davenport.

The couple shared a kiss as the sun set, happy to have some time for each other for a change. Meanwhile, Vásquez looked at the ceiling of the room she was in, thinking of how twisted life could be, and Bartlett was in his own room, writing down on an empty notebook he had found in a drawer in the desk.

 _ _Midway Islands, Pacific Ocean, July 24th 2016, 20:00 Hours; Weather: Sunny, few clouds__

The days passed, and just like Nicholas Allen had promised, two more fleets surrounded the Midway islands, with a total of 48 ships, including three carriers. Marlene Davenport, Hansel Foulke, Yolanda Vásquez and Arthur Bartlett kept themselves busy playing billiards, poker, table football, air hockey and some arcade machines in the rec room during the six days the islands had been sieged. They were aware their time and supplies were running out. They also watched the news, where the extent of the power of the Knights of Ulysses was shown in full: most of Europe, Africa and America were under their thumb, with Asia and Oceania struggling to fight back.

That night, they were in the mess hall, where they had put a couple of tables together to give each other as much room as possible.

-"So, our last night in this world."-said Davenport as she took a sip of isotonic drink.-"Any of you guys have anything you'd like to share with everyone?"

-"Not me."-replied Vásquez, munching on an energy bar.-"I have nothing I can say, apart from wishing I had gone down in a different fashion. This way to die is fucked up beyond belief."

-"I know, right?"-quipped Bartlett, fiddling with a paper plane he had made a couple of hours before.-"The alternative is worse, but this is a close second. I'd prefer to fight than just sit here and wait to die."

-"It's not like we have any other choice."-said Foulke, who was playing solitaire on a desk.-"So far, unless we get some help, which I doubt, we're going to die anyway, and, even if the Knights of Ulysses will kill me no matter how, I'd like to think that I didn't pass through their ring."

-"Within sixteen hours, it'll be game over for us."-sighed Davenport.-"No way to get out of here, the whole world will probably not give a damn about us, and live their shitty lives while the Knights of Ulysses tighten their grip around the world."

-"Sartoris did say that there were people trying to fight against them."-said Foulke.

-"I doubt they make it to the autumn."-replied Davenport.-"And even if they can make it, they are way too busy to help us out in time."

-"You've got a point."-said Bartlett.-"They'll be too busy cleaning house to care for a bunch of mercenaries like us."

-"You and the redhead are quite the party poopers, __rubito__."-retorted Vásquez.-"Not that you're not right, though."

-"In any case, it'll all be over tomorrow."-said Davenport.-"All I can ask of you guys is that, if you end up having second thoughts, don't play stubborn; just save your lives."

-"Davenport, in my native country we have a saying, which translated means "Either we all get wasted, or we throw the wine into the river.". And I know I speak for both your boyfriend and the kid when I say we're in this together."-replied Vásquez.

-"Furthermore, leaving you behind would be an act of cowardice that would end up being in vain."-added Foulke.-"We're going to die anyway, so why not die together having a good time, instead of giving those assholes what they want?"

-"I'm willing to bet they'd execute us in public just to set an example."-said Bartlett.-"And I don't want to know how far they're willing to go, knowing how sadistic they are."

-"In that case, let's get a good rest tonigh. Tomorrow will be a hell of a day."-said Davenport, nonchalantly.

-"Acute choice of words."-quipped Foulke.

As the sun set, they left to their rooms, assuming they would not make it to the next night...

 _ _Pacific Ocean, July 25th 2016, 01:54 Hours; Weather: Night, few clouds__

Four ATD-0 Shinshin, sporting a navy blue paintjob with darker trims and a single white line were flying east to reach the Midway Islands after having just made it out of one of the last remaining areas out of the Knights of Ulysses' control in Japan. They were escorting a single C-2 cargo plane.

-"Sir, are you sure this was a good idea?"-asked one of the pilots, a female called Kei Nagase.-"We're leaving our resistance group behind just to save a handful of mercenaries. I'm afraid they don't make it until after we rescue these privateers."

-"Ridgeback 2, you can trust our comrades to hold out until we make it back. I've seen these mercenaries in action, and if we can get them to help us, Japan is as good as free from these so-called "knights"."-replied Ridgeback 1, a Japanese-American called John Harvard.-"And besides, when Hell is unleashed upon the Earth and all angels and knights have fallen, the best choice of allies are the Devil's rejects."

-"I surely hope you know what you're doing."-replied Ridgeback 2.-"Reports say that there are over 40 ships in the area, at least three of them being carriers."

-"Ridgeback 2 has a point, sir."-added Ridgeback 4.-"This mission could be much riskier than we initially thought."

-"Not like we have time to turn back now."-said Ridgeback 3.-"But in any case, we've been through worse, and we're not going to be deterred by some lunatics just because they have a bunch of fancy ships. We four are the best pilots in the JASDF, and it's our chance to prove so."

-"That's the spirit, 3."-said Ridgeback 1.-"By the end of the week, we'll take Japan back from those who want to take control of the entire world. We're soldiers, not simple pawns to some nut warlords."

* * *

Second chapter of Brave New World. I'm sorry for taking so long to write this chapter, but I've been awfully busy, especially since late March; free time was virtually nonexistent. In all this time, ACI closed its servers (RIP), a new trailer of AC7 was published, the remake of RE2 was announced, I watched JW:Fallen Kingdom (BTW, I couldn't care less for any negative review: I loved it; it could have been slower-paced and a bit scarier, though), and I got Jurassic World Evolution; you guys can make an idea of how long I have been busy. Good luck and take care. See you next time


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